Shujinko Shippuden
by jido96
Summary: (Sequel to "Shujinko: The Fourth Member") After spending three years under the tutelage of Kakashi, Shujinko has become a fine shinobi of great skill. Team 7 is back again, but with Akatsuki lurking on the horizon, will our hero be able to rise to the challenge and protect everything he holds dear? What will happen when his righteousness comes into conflict with his friendships?
1. Chapter 1

**SHUJINKO SHIPPUDEN**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: HOMECOMING**

(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)

"Talking / Jutsu"

'Thinking'

'_Flashback'_

"_Flashback talk"_

"**Demonic voice"**

_Letter / Emphasis_

* * *

|Konohagakure no Sato|

It was a beautiful day in Konohagakure. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the voices of children playing tag could be heard loud and clear. The streets were filled with villagers doing their daily routines and neighbors were joyfully chatting about banalities and the latest rumors and occurrences. Even the air seemed to be carrying a taste of wellness and tranquility that was enjoyable to breathe in.

It was almost hard to believe that such a seemingly peaceful place was the home of some of the most powerful and renowned ninjas the world had ever seen, including all of the Hokage, the Legendary Sannins, and other individuals whose names were well-known all throughout the shinobi world. After all, it wasn't a coincide that Konohagakure no Sato was widely regarded by many as the greatest military village in the current day and age, having earned and maintained that reputation after many wars and conflicts.

Konohagakure was also the home of another shinobi, one by the name of Ozuma Shujinko, who was currently brushing his teeth in his underwear after having breakfast and taking a shower.

Shujinko had gone through a rather noticeably transformation over the last three years, both in terms of his physical appearance and his prowess as a shinobi. Now sixteen years old, Shujinko no longer looked like a pubescent teenager and instead resembled a young man. He had grown tall and lean, yet muscular all the same thanks to years of training. His voice was slightly huskier than before, a natural consequence of having turned sixteen. As for his hair, it hadn't changed all that much since his days as a Genin, although Shujinko found himself having to cut it more often than before.

Once he was done brushing his teeth, Shujinko entered his room and started putting on his outfit. Now that he was older, he had acquired a taste for looking professional, which was why he wore the standard shinobi uniform of Konohagakure with the exception of a few minor tweaks. While most Chunins and Jounins wore dark blue pants and long-sleeved shirts, Shujinko's uniform was of a brighter shade of blue that resembled the color of a sapphire. His shirt had short sleeves and he also wore black, mid-length wrist warmers made out of leather on his forearms, leaving only his hands and his elbows uncovered. As for his green flak jacket, Shujinko had grown fond of this particular piece of garment ever since it was given to him, and so he wore it almost every day.

Of course, his apparel wasn't complete until he wore the two most important items: His headband and his necklace, a golden feather, the symbol of the Ozuma clan.

Back when the Ozuma clan was still around, only those who had proven themselves worthy were given the golden feather as a distinctive token. The Ozuma clan had been wiped out long ago as a result of an alliance made by several clans of Sora no Kuni during violent and blood-spilling times. Daichi, Shujinko's father, managed to escape from the war with the help of his mother Kyoko and traveled across the land until he reached Konohagakure no Sato, along with his wife Masumi and his son Shujinko, who had been born months before the Ozuma's arrival to the village.

It wasn't until Shujinko was twelve that he discovered his true lineage as well as the power that flowed through his veins. Unlike Daichi, whose Ozuma genes had been dormant ever since he was conceived, Shujinko and his sister Nanami both had golden eyes, having inherited the Karura Tensei. The Karura Tensei was the Kekkei Genkai of the Ozuma clan, a bloodline ability that allowed the members of the clan to instinctively and almost immediately gather nature energy, entering a state known as Hawk Sage Mode.

The history of the Ozuma was ancient and mysterious, and the only beings alive today that knew about the events that led to the birth, rise, fall, and "resurrection" of the clan were the hawks that lived in the Great Sukai Tower… But Shujinko wasn't thinking about that right now. He had to run a few errands here and there, and he had his own personal business to attend to. However, there was one thing, one thought that took almost all of his attention and brought a small smile to his lips.

"It's been three years now," Shujinko said to himself. "Naruto is finally coming home,"

* * *

Shujinko entered a small, but modest building where his mother worked as a secretary, carrying a bento box inside a bag. Kato, an elderly man who was sweeping the floor, greeted him good morning, and Shujinko returned the gesture by shaking the man's skinny hand. Kato was a short man with round glasses and a balding head, who wore an old uniform that had undoubtedly seen better days.

"It's good to see you again, Kato-san," Shujinko said.

"Who do we have here? Young Shujinko is all grown up now," Kato replied with a raspy voice. "To think that I used to look after you whenever your mother brought you here. Do you remember those days, Shujinko? You used to bring your toys to my small office and play with them all day long. It feels like it was only yesterday when you tried to go the bathroom on your own and ended up lost in the third floor,"

Shujinko chuckled. "What can I say? This place seemed huge at the time, and it wasn't my fault that I didn't have anything better to do. By the way, have you seen my mom around? She forgot to bring her lunch and I don't want her to work with an empty stomach,"

"Ah, yes, yes. You arrived just in time. Masumi-san and her co-workers are about to take their break. If you hurry, you might still find her in her desk,"

"Thanks. See you around, Kato-san,"

The Ozuma walked across the hall and climbed up the stairs, reaching the second floor. His mother Masumi worked as a secretary in a modest but reliable company that focused on edible goods. Her job was to make sure her boss was up to date with everything that was happening as well as help him arrange meetings with current and potential clients by finding dates that accommodated both parties.

It was far from being the best-paid job in the world, but she earned a decent wage. Besides, her husband worked as well and one of her sons was a shinobi who began earning money at the age of twelve, and he was currently sixteen. As for Nanami, she had become a Genin not too long ago, so she was starting to earn her own money. Since every member of the Ozuma family collaborated with the expenses, they were able to afford a relatively safe and humble lifestyle.

Shujinko saw his mother putting several binders inside a drawer as she chatted with two of her colleagues. Masumi hadn't changed all that much over the last three years, with the exception of a few thin wrinkles that were beginning to show. She used make-up to cover them, obviously. "Ugh, I can't believe how silly of me," Masumi started to say. "I forgot my lunch at home, and by the time I get back here with something to eat, my shift will have already started,"

"Why don't you just get something from the shop that's around the corner? Surely you can find food there," one of her friends suggested.

Masumi shook her head. "No way. You can't trust the food sold in those places. They'll make you fat before you know it. Just look at Kuriko if you don't believe me," It was at that moment when Masumi noticed Shujinko was walking towards her. "Shujinko, what are you doing here? Did something happen to our house?"

"Hey kaa-san, nice to see you too. And no, nothing happened. I just thought I would bring you this," Shujinko said as he handed his mother her lunch. "You're lucky I spotted it before I left. Enjoy,"

"Oh Kami, you are a lifesaver. Thank you so much, Shujinko," Masumi said, taking out the bento box out of the bag.

The three other women quickly surrounded Shujinko, much to the boy's discomfort. "My oh my. Shujinko, is that really you?" one of them asked as she pinched his cheek. "You've grown an awful lot. How did you get so tall all of a sudden?"

"Tall _and _handsome," the other one added, caressing his face. "I bet you have all sorts of girls chasing after you, am I right?"

"Hey ladies, haven't seen you in a while," Shujinko replied courteously. He had always found his mother's friends to be a bit obnoxious, to say the least. The golden-eyed boy was aware that they were just teasing him, but did they really have to do this every single time they met? He only tolerated them because they were friends with his mother. Had it not been for that, Shujinko probably wouldn't speak a word to them. "We can catch up another time, but I kinda have to go now. Please excuse me,"

Masumi nodded. "Alright, that's enough. Get your claws away from my son, you two. We still haven't finished our conversation from earlier,"

"Ooooh, come on. Can't he stick around a little longer? It's not like we get to see Shujinko every day. Oh, and you'll never guess who we saw last week. Do you remember Mizubo, the girl who used to work here? Well, it turns out that…"

* * *

'Geez, I thought I was never going to leave this place, Shujinko thought as he walked out of the building. Next time her mother forgot to bring her lunch to work, she could go retrieve it herself. He had spent enough time with her mother's annoying, intrusive coworkers for the foreseeable… well, forever. 'Now that we got that out of the way, I should go see Tsunade-sama and ask her if she has seen Naruto. I wonder how much stronger he's gotten. He's probably changed a lot since the last time we saw each other. There's no way he's still the same knucklehead after three years of-'

"YOU LITTLE IMBECILE!"

BAAM

The voice of Sakura was heard all throughout the street, as well as the sound of someone getting pummeled by an enormous force. Shujinko quickly made his way to where he heard Sakura, and when he got there, he was greeted by a sight so distant, yet at the same time so familiar that it made him gasp.

Sakura was holding a barely conscious Naruto by the collar of his jacket, shaking him back and forth like a ragdoll. "It's been three years since I last saw you! Three years! Then, you finally return to the village and the first thing you do is to try and use that pervy jutsu of yours in front of everyone! What the hell is wrong with you!? Don't you have any shame at all!?"

"Sa-Sakura-chan… I was only joking…" Naruto mumbled.

"Joking!? How can you even… Aaaaargh, you're such an idiot! Why did I ever get my hopes up for you!? You're still that immature twerp from before!"

"Naruto, is that you?" The ears of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki perked up upon hearing his name. Both Naruto and Sakura turned their heads around, finding their old teammate at the end of the street close to where they were.

Naruto's fear was immediately replaced by a sense of surprise and awe as he stared at Shujinko with wide eyes. Unlike Sakura, whose current outfit still vagely resembled the pink dress she used to wear during her time as a Genin, Shujinko wore clothes that clearly belonged to a shinobi, giving him a more mature and adult-like appearance. On his way to the village, Naruto was aware that his childhood friends probably didn't look the same as they did three years ago, but seeing them was another matter entirely.

"Shujinko? Hey, it's nice to see you again!" Naruto exclaimed, a grin plastered on his face. Sakura let out a sigh and released the blonde Jinchuriki so that he could walk over to where Shujinko was, because despite how annoyed she was at Naruto, it wasn't like she was going to stop him from meeting his teammate after years of absence. "Man, you've changed. I almost didn't recognize you,"

"I'm the one who has changed?" Shujinko asked incredulously. "Look at you, you're even taller than Sakura now!"

Naruto's height wasn't the only thing that was different about him. His voice was huskier than before, and his face was considerably leaner, sharpening his facial features. Much to Shujinko's amusement, Naruto still remained loyal to his clothing fashion by wearing orange garments, although he had the decency to wear a jacket with a black pattern that covered his arms and his zipper, forming the shape of a letter T. It was a small improvement over his previous outfit, but an improvement nonetheless.

The whiskered teen scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess I've grown a little, but this place hasn't changed in the slightest. Everything looks exactly the same, as if I had never left. It feels great to be back in the village. I have so much to tell you, but first, let's get a bowl of ramen. I'm sure old man Teuchi will give me one for free as a homecoming gift!"

"Slow down there, kiddo. It's business before pleasure in the shinobi world. We have to stop by Tsunade's office and inform her of our return, otherwise, she'll have my head," Like the experienced shinobi that he was, Jiraiya silently appeared, turning the head of the three members of Team 7. "Besides, I'm sure my old teammate must have missed me terribly while we were gone, and its bad manners to keep a lady waiting,"

Shujinko bowed his head respectfully. "Jiraiya-sama, it's good to have you back in the village,"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in return. "Well, thank you… What was your name again?"

A thick drop of sweat rolled down Shujinko's temple, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. Although not particularly close to one another, Shujinko would've expected Jiraiya to at least remember his name after being formally introduced to him. "Ozuma Shujinko, Naruto's teammate. We've met before, you know,"

"Ah, yes, of course. I remember now. You've gotten so big I can barely even recognize you," Jiraiya replied casually, although Shujinko had the feeling that the white-haired shinobi wasn't being fully honest. He then looked at Sakura, who also came to greet the Sannin.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jiraiya-sama,"

"The pleasure is mine. Your name is Sakura, right? You're Tsunade's student, the girl with the pink hair Naruto always mentioned. The way he talked about you, one would think you two are a couple. I certainly recall Naruto saying you had fallen head over heels in love for him or something among those lines,"

"W-W-What!?" Sakura exclaimed in shock before placing a terrified Naruto in a headlock and performing a skull-piercing noogie. "What other lies have you been spreading about me!? Confess, you rat!"

"Ouch! No! Stop it, Sakura-chan! I didn't say anything, I swear! Ero-sennin is lying!"

Instead of rolling his eyes in annoyance, Shujinko found himself smiling fondly at the scene. As stupid as it was, it made him remember about the time when they were young and naive Genins full of enthusiasm. Seeing Naruto and Sakura interact like they used to back in the old days sure brought back memories that he often reminisced about, or at least the good ones. It was no secret that Team 7 suffered the humiliating reputation of being the squad that Uchiha Sasuke abandoned, so Shujinko tried to focus on the positive aspects and allow people to think whatever they wanted.

Things were just easier that way.

* * *

|Hokage's Office|

"So, you two have finally returned," Tsunade said ceremoniously before allowing a warm smile to grace her lips. Naruto and Jiraiya were standing in front of her, followed by Sakura and Shujinko, who decided to tag along. Even though she would never admit to it, she came to miss the obnoxious brat who constantly talked about becoming Hokage. Well, he wasn't a brat anymore, or at least he certainly didn't look like one after three years. "I'm glad to have you back with us. Your time was well spent, I assume,"

"You offend me, Tsunade. Do you really think we would've returned if our training hadn't been fruitful? I'm telling you, I did a good job training Naruto," Jiraiya assured her with utmost conviction.

Naruto grinned and gave Tsunade a thumbs-up. "Mission accomplished, baa-chan. I worked my but off and now I'm stronger than I've ever been before. I can face anyone you put me up against, believe it!"

"That's good to hear because I want to see the results of your training first hand, as well as how your teamwork abilities play out. There's someone I want you to go up against, and I've allowed that certain someone to rest these past few days so that he can face you at the peak of his strength. He should be here any minute now,"

"Really? And who am I going up against?" Naruto asked with utmost interest.

Right after Tsunade finished her sentence, there was a knock on the door, which caused Jiraiya and the members of Team 7 to turn their heads around.

"Come in!"

The door was opened, and none other than Shikamaru and Temari walked into the office. "Morning, Tsunade-sama," Shikamaru said with a yawn, rubbing one of his eyes with a closed fist. Despite already being early in the afternoon, the lazy genius looked as if he was just starting his day. The years hadn't diminished Shikamaru's idleness in the slightest, and probably never would. He was so busy feeling apathetic that he had yet to notice the presence of Konohagakure's Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead ninja. As for Temari, she was standing slightly behind Shikamaru and hadn't realized Naruto was in the same room as her.

"Oh, it's you, Shikamaru," Tsunade said. "Looks like you came here just in time,"

"Shikamaru, Temari, look who we have here!" Sakura announced excitedly. Despite still being angry with Naruto for attempting to do that repulsive Oiroke no Jutsu in public, she couldn't deny that she was very happy to have him back, even if it meant having to deal with his childish antics all over again.

It was only then that Shikamaru realized who was there with them, and his laziness was quickly replaced with astonishment. "Wait a minute, is that… No way. Naruto, it's you!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he raised his voice. Seeing his old classmate again after so long was such a welcoming surprise that Shikamaru couldn't help but crack a genuine smile, something he rarely ever did with his aloof attitude.

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki returned the smile. "Hey Shikamaru, long time no see!"

'Is that really the same little goofball from before?' Temari thought in awe. It was weird to see how much Naruto had grown, especially considering how he was still a midget the last time she saw him.

Shujinko smirked in amusement. He was already expecting a similar reaction from Shikamaru and Temari when he saw them stepping into the room, but watching them act so surprised upon seeing Naruto was entertaining all the same. He couldn't wait to see the look on the rest of their friends' faces, especially since they didn't know Naruto was already here.

"So you finally returned to the village, huh?"

"That's right, Ero-sennin and I came back just a few minutes ago. So what's up, then? Are you going to be my opponent or what?"

Shikamaru blinked in confusion. "Your opponent? What are you talking about? I just came here to deliver some paperwork, not to pick up fights. That'd be so troublesome,"

"Oh, really? Then, does that mean that I'm supposed to fight…" Naruto focused his gaze on Temari, giving her an inquiring look. "Oi, you're Gaara's sister, right? Your name was…"

After a minute or so of silence, Temari narrowed her eyes in a fulminating glare. "You really don't remember my name? Are you serious?"

"Of course I remember your name! Erh… It was… Teramoni or something, right?"

Everyone in the room except for "Teramoni" laughed, and even Shikamaru let out a chuckle. Under normal circumstances, the Kazekage's sister would've replied with an offensive retort, but seeing how good-natured the atmosphere was and how she was in front of the leader of Konohagakure, Temari decided to let it slide just this time. The same way Naruto had forgotten her name, she had forgotten how much of an idiot the boy was. It was hard to believe that such an idiot was the responsible for Gaara's desition to change his life for the better and become Kazekage, something she never would've thought to be possible.

'It looks like some things never change,' Shujinko thought as he shook his head.

Once the laughter died down, Tsunade cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "As I was saying, you won't find your opponent under this roof. You might want to open up that window and search for him outside," she said as she pointed a finger at a window nearby. Not really knowing what was going on, Naruto walked up to the window and opened it up, his brow furrowed. He poked his head out and started looking, and just when he was about to ask Tsunade what kind of games she was playing, he heard a voice that was all too familiar.

"My my, look who decided to show up. It's been a long time since we last saw each other," Naruto immediately turned his head to the left. Sitting on the rooftop was none other than Hatake Kakashi, his old sensei. He was holding his beloved Icha-Icha Paradise in one hand as he used his free hand to wave hello. "Hey there, Naruto,"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping out of the window and landing on the rooftops in front of the silver-haired Jounin. Shujinko, Sakura, and Tsunade approached the window to observe the heartwarming reunion of a teacher and his old student. It had been far too long since they had last gathered like this, and it was impossible for Shujinko to not feel happy right now. He really missed these moments.

"Well, one thing is clear. You certainly look different, Naruto," Kakashi said, sounding as bored as ever. Of course, it wasn't like he cared nothing for Naruto's homecoming. That was just the way his voice sounded. Shujinko knew his sensei was glad to have Naruto return to the village, even if he didn't seem to show it.

"And just like Sakura-chan, you haven't changed at all, Kakashi-sensei," the Uzumaki replied cheerfully. Out of the corner of his eye, Shujinko saw how the tender smile on Sakura's face quickly evaporated and her lips became tighter than the spandex suits worn by Gai and Lee. "What have you been up to all of this time? Oh, wait! Before I forget, I want to give you a present. It's a souvenir from my travels with Ero-sennin, believe it!"

Kakashi's only visible eye rose slightly as Naruto grabbed his backpack and started searching for the gift inside. "A souvenir, you say? That's a very nice gesture, but you didn't have to bother. If I'm being honest, I've never been very interested in either giving or receiving pres…" The Hatake was unable to finish his sentence. Naruto pulled out a small green book from his backpack, and as soon as Kakashi read the title of the front cover, his heart skipped a beat. "It… It cannot be… This is… This is…"

"Kakashi-sensei, I present to you Icha-Icha Tactics, the new installment of the ongoing Icha-Icha series!" Naruto proclaimed as he handed Kakashi the book. "Ero-sennin gave it to me just before we finished our training trip together. He said this would help me become a man of culture and good taste. It's pretty lame if you ask me, but I know you're into this kind of weird stuff, so I thought you might as well have it,"

Jiraiya let out a huff and crossed his arms in disapproval. 'Lame? Dear Kami, what an ingrate. People would kill to get their hands on that book, especially since it hasn't been released to the public yet. Then again, I suppose you can't expect a dimwitted adolescent to appreciate fine literature,'

The Copy Ninja accepted the gift and stared at the front cover with trembling hands, as if he was holding the Holy Grail of erotic novels. His heavy breathing became more intense as he opened the new volume of his favorite series. Shujinko was worried that his sensei was about to suffer a heart attack or something, but right before that could happen, the Hokage's voice interrupted the magic of the moment. "Alright, that's enough. You can read your new book some other time, Kakashi. We have more important issues at hand, remember?"

Very much against his will, Kakashi forced himself to close the book before putting it away. Had it not been for the fact that he was being addressed by none other than the Hokage, Kakashi would've flat out ignored whatever he was being told at the moment. He would've gone home to lay on his bed, open the book, replace himself with the protagonist of the story, and then… Well, be free to do whatever he wanted with his imagination. No one needed to know what Kakashi did or thought during his leisure time, right?

Naruto developed a more serious expression. "Since you're here, does that mean you'll be taking me on, Kakashi-sensei?"

Upon hearing Naruto's question, Shujinko narrowed his eyes. His teammate had surely become stronger than before after training for three years with Jiraiya, but choosing Kakashi as Naruto's opponent was excessive in his opinion. Shujinko himself spent the last three years training under the Hatake's tutelage, learning almost everything the man had to teach him and dedicating his time to learn new skills and perfect the ones he already had. As a result, Shujinko became a much more formidable shinobi, adopting the shrewd and analytic mindset of his teacher and adding it to his fast-paced, straightforward fighting style.

But even then it wasn't enough. Shujinko couldn't consider himself to be Kakashi's equal when it came to strength despite his incredible progress. There was no doubt that the power gap between the two of them had shortened considerably, and Kakashi had certainly managed to make a fine shinobi out of him, but to say that the young Ozuma had already surpassed his mentor was quite a bold statement that most people would doubt, including Shujinko.

"In a way, yes. But you won't have to do it on your own," Kakashi responded as he turned his head towards his two other students, or at least his student and Sakura, who had become Tsunade's pupil. "Shujinko, Sakura, I'm glad you're here as well. This makes things less complicated,"

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei. It's nice to see you," Sakura said while slightly bowing her head. Ever since she started her training under Tsunade, the pink-haired kunoichi had to devote herself to the Hokage's lessons and hadn't had much time to catch up with her old sensei. Even so, she hadn't forgotten who Kakashi was and still treated him with the respect that any student owed to his or her former mentor.

"It's nice to see you too, Sakura. We haven't seen each other in a while, haven't we?" Kakashi asked with an eye-smile.

"Yeah, well, we've both been terribly busy as of lately, so we can't blame ourselves,"

"Good morning, sensei," Shujinko said. Unlike Naruto and Sakura, the golden-eyed teen had seen Kakashi almost every week for the last three years, so it didn't feel like a special reunion at all. He was merely performing a common courtesy.

Kakashi nodded. "Morning, Shujinko. As I was saying, you three being here makes things less complicated. I have an announcement to make,"

"An announcement?" Naruto repeated.

"With Naruto's arrival, Tsunade-sama saw fit to put the three of you to the test and see how well you can work together. As mentors, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and I know very well what our respective students are capable of doing individually, but we haven't seen what you can do when working as a team with your current level of skills. That's why I, Hatake Kakashi, am hereby challenging Uzumaki Naruto, Ozuma Shujinko, and Haruno Sakura. It'll be interesting to watch how much teamwork you've retained,"

The unexpected challenge was met with sharp eyes from the three teenagers. Shujinko wasn't expecting to be included in this, but he didn't even consider the possibility of backing down. He hadn't trained relentlessly all of this time so that he could refuse a direct challenge from Kakashi, the man he aimed to surpass. Facing their sensei in a one-on-one fight would've been extremely demanding, but if they worked together as a team, Shujinko knew they could overcome anything their mentor had in store for them. Besides, he had been under Kakashi's tutelage for three years, and knew his tactics better than anyone under this roof, with Tsunade and Jiraiya being the only exceptions.

"If you want to challenge us, then bring it on, sensei," Naruto replied, his eyes shining with determination. It was time to show everyone how much he had improved, and he couldn't think of a more fitting opponent than Kakashi. "Let's head to the training grounds right away so we can start this thing. I'm ready for whatever you have in store for us,"

"Mah, mah, that wouldn't be fair for you, Naruto. You must be tired after traveling from so far. That's alright, I suppose our challenge can wait a little longer. I'll meet the three of you at our training grounds in a couple of hours so that Naruto has time to rest," Kakashi said, tightening his grip on his new book.

Naruto blinked. "What? No, I'm not tired at all, sensei. If anything, I'm itching for a fight. We can go to the training grounds right aw-"

POOF

Kakashi didn't bother to listen to him. Raising two fingers, he made use of the Shunshin no Jutsu and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "The heck is wrong with him? I told him I was perfectly fine and he ignored me! Doesn't he have any manners?" Naruto protested out loud, feeling a tad bit offended. What kind of man ran away right after proposing a challenge?

"Well, it seems to me that Kakashi has his priorities straight," Jiraiya replied as he crossed his arms and nodded to himself, a smug smile on his face. "It's obvious that Kakashi couldn't resist the temptation and went home to start reading my masterpiece. Trust me, it's completely understandable. I've often seen men and women falling victim to my exquisite prose, so when they hear about a new book of mine coming up, it's hard to blame them when they-"

"Anyways, since we have a couple of hours to kill, how about we go get something to eat? I've been dying to get my hands on some ramen from Ichiraku, and I'm sure Teuchi-jiji won't charge me today since I just returned to the village. What do you guys say?" Naruto asked, placing both his hands on the back of his head.

This, of course, irritated the white-haired Sannin. "You little hypocrite! You criticize Kakashi for interrupting you, and then you go and do the same thing to me! If anyone's manners are lacking here, it's definitely yours!"

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have to interrupt you if you didn't gloat over your dirty books every five minutes! We all know only perverts such as Kakashi-sensei and yourself would ever read the crap that you write, Ero-sennin!"

"Crap? Crap!? I'll have you know I'm a worldwide renowned author and I've made a fortune selling my work! You're just jealous because you'd never be able to sell a book of your our making, not even in a million years!"

"Oh, please! If I wanted to, I could write a book with my eyes closed and it would still come out better than any of your filthy novels!"

"YOU THINK SO, YOU BRAINLESS GAKI!?"

"I KNOW SO, YOU PERVERTED OLD GOAT!"

"BE QUIET ALREADY!" Both Tsunade and Sakura roared before using their gargantuan strength to punch their respective teammates. The two dummies went through the roof and managed to reach an altitude of 50 feet into the air before gravity started doing its job. Naruto and Jiraiya landed on the Academy's play yard where children were about to start a game of hide and seek, making two big crates in the zone of impact and causing a distracted Iruka to spill hot tea all over his pants.

Shujinko shook his head. Some things truly never changed, did they?

* * *

Once Naruto managed to wake up from his comatose state, he and the rest of his friends decided to take a walk around the streets of Konohagakure. Given how Naruto's jaw was nearly dislocated from Sakura's vicious uppercut, he was forced to postpone his visit to Ichiraku Ramen, much to his dismay. Nevertheless, he enjoyed seeing his old neighborhood after three years of absence.

"So tell me, Naruto. How did your training with Jiraiya-sama go? Did you pick up some new skills along the way?" Shujinko asked, wanting to catch up with his blond knucklehead of a friend.

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki grinned. "You bet I did. I'm telling you, I'm not that snot-nosed kid from before. I'm a whole lot stronger now, believe it!"

"It'll be interesting to see how we'll fare against Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said. "I don't know what kind of test he has in store for us, but whatever that test is, it's gonna' be a challenging one for sure,"

"You can say that again. I just hope our teamwork hasn't gone rusty. We're gonna have to do this together if we want to stand a chance," the Ozuma commented.

"Come on, you're worrying too much, Shujinko. I know Kakashi-sensei is a tough opponent, but the three of us have trained a lot during these last three years, right? If we work together as you say, then we'll be just fine," Naruto said with his usual confidence. "By the way, what are you two doing here together, huh?" he asked Shikamaru and Temari with a devilish smile. "Ooooh, don't tell me. I bet the two of you are on a date. Go on, admit it already,"

Temari snorted incredulously. "Oh please, like I would _ever _go on a date with a bum like him. I'm just here as an ambassador from Sunagakure to arrange the next Chunin Exams, that's all,"

"And for some reason I can't understand, Tsunade-sama saw fit to put me in charge of the next Chunin Exams, which means that I have to deal with this witch right here. It's a drag, but I guess it has to be done," Shikamaru replied without missing a beat, his eyes showing nothing but utmost apathy. "Besides, I'm not cut out to be in a troublesome relationship just yet. Shujinko might be into that kind of commitment, but it's not my cup of tea,"

"Is that so?" Naruto immediately turned around and redirected his mocking grin at his teammate. "Well well well, looks like we have a ladies' man over here. Do you have a girlfriend or something?"

The Ozuma raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, I do,"

His reply seemed to confuse Naruto, as if he wasn't expecting an affirmative answer at all. "Huh? Wait, are you serious? Because I was just messing with you. Who's your girlfriend, then? It can't possibly be…" Naruto's face suddenly went pale. Raising a shaky hand, he started pointing at Shujinko and Sakura. "… Are… Are you two… You're not really…"

"W-What?" Sakura sputtered. "Of course not! Shujinko and I aren't dating! He was talking about Tenten, you moron!"

Shujinko couldn't help but slap his own forehead, frustrated and embarrassed by his teammate's idiocy. It was true that his friendship with Sakura had somewhat deepened over the last three years, but that was because they became the last members of Team 7 without counting Kakashi, so it was only natural that they had gotten to know each other a little better with the absence of their other teammates. However, the thought of dating Sakura had never even crossed Shujinko's mind, not only because he had no interest towards her in that regard, but also because Tenten was his girlfriend, as well as the only girl he had romantic feelings for.

"Phew, that's good to know," the blonde knucklehead said after releasing a sigh of relief. The rest of them could only shake their heads. "I think I remember Tenten. She's that girl from Team Gai, the one who's always throwing weapons, right? Well, I'm sure the two of you make an excellent couple together! Shujinko shouldn't have to worry about dating other people because Tenten is the perfect girl for him, believe it!"

The awkward grin on Naruto's face caused a thick drop of sweat to roll down Shujinko's temple. The obviousness of his actions was pathetic and comical at the same time. He had no idea how Shujinko's relationship with Tenten was going, and quite frankly, it wasn't like he cared much about it. Naruto simply wanted to push the idea of Sakura dating Shujinko out of the way as much as he could, given how he still loved the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Anyways, I know it's none of my business, but since we're on the subject, are you going to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "If I were you, I'd try to pick up the pace as soon as possible. You can't stay like that forever,"

"Pick up the pace?" Naruto repeated. "What do you mean by that, Shikamaru?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're the only one of our generation who's still a Genin at the age of sixteen. The rest of us have already gone past that rank,"

…

"Whaaaaaaat!?" Naruto exclaimed at the top of his lungs, refusing to believe what he had just heard. "Th-That… That can't be! How is it possible that I'm the only one who's still a Genin? I mean, I know I didn't pass the last Chunin Exams, but… but it's not fair! Sakura-chan, you've been made a Chunin?"

Sakura smiled widely and made a peace sign with her right hand. "That's right. You're looking at a fully-fledged Chunin," she said, much to Naruto's astonishment. He had been so caught up with his training that he completely forgot about his status as a Genin, and what was more, he also forgot the fact that his friends would climb up the ladder of ninja ranks while he was away. "What about you, Shujinko? Are you a Chunin as well?" he asked his friend, almost fearful of what answer he might receive.

His fears were proven true when Shujinko raised his thumb and pointed at his chest. "Actually, I've been recently promoted to Jounin,"

This time, Naruto's jaw nearly reached the ground. "A-A Jounin!? How!? When the heck did that happen!?"

"Last month. Granted, I'm still a rookie Jounin, but a Jounin nonetheless,"

Indeed, after nearly three years of being a Chunin, Shujinko became a Jounin, appointed by Tsunade herself and under the recommendation of Kakashi. His brutal training under the Copy Ninja bore its fruits, as well as all of the experience he gained through countless missions with Kakashi by his side. When the Godaime Hokage commanded Kakashi to oversee Shujinko's progress for a period of three years, the Sharingan Warrior took his student's training very seriously and taught him almost everything he knew, and while it took a tremendous amount of effort on his part, the Ozuma persevered and became the shinobi he knew he could be.

"So Sakura is a Chunin, Shujinko is a Jounin…" Naruto remained silent for a bit before his eyes went wide. "What about Gaara? What has he been doing?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Temari's face. "Gaara has outranked us all. He became the new Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato,"

Shujinko watched Naruto's reaction very carefully. He knew Gaara was special to him due to their similar upbringing and the fact that they were both Jinchurikis, and so they shared a unique bond that made them relate to one another. He was expecting the Uzumaki to shout hysterically at the skies and demand for answers, but much to his surprise, Naruto did none of that. Instead, he stared at the ground in silence. "So Gaara became Kazekage…" Naruto muttered, a mix of envy and happiness in his voice. Then, slowly but surely, a confident smile was plastered on his face. "In that case, I can't afford to stay far behind. Just you wait, Gaara. One day, I'm gonna become Hokage, and we'll stand as equals, believe it!"

There it was again, that unshakeable conviction of his. It was funny how practically no one used to take Naruto seriously when he was a kid, including Shujinko. During their days in the Academy, Shujinko never thought of Naruto as a bad person per se, but at the same time, he doubted the blond knucklehead would ever amount to much as a ninja due to his low grades and his boisterous behavior. However, as fate would have it, the two of them ended up on the same team, and as he watched him grow, Shujinko realized Naruto was a lot more skillful than what he first gave him credit for. Despite being a doofus, his power of will and his refusal to give up were admirable and they served as an example for everyone.

GGGGGRRRRRLLLLL

Shortly after those words, Naruto's stomach growled rather loudly, breaking the magic of the moment. "Hehe, I guess I need to have some lunch before I can become Hokage," Naruto said as he rubbed his belly. "Come on, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen before we head down to the training grounds. We won't be able to defeat Kakashi-sensei with an empty stomach, and besides, I want to say hello to Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-chan,"

"Well, Naruto does have a point," Shujinko conceded. "I haven't had lunch either, and we've got plenty of time to kill. What do you say, Sakura?"

"Sure, just as long as everyone pays for their food individually. You guys eat way more than I do, so don't even think about splitting the bill evenly,"

"Alright! Ichiraku Ramen, here we go!"

* * *

|3 hours later, Training Grounds|

"Oh, come on! Is Kakashi-sensei going to keep us waiting here forever?" Naruto complained loudly, crossing his arms in annoyance.

After receiving a warm welcome from Teuchi and Ayame, who celebrated Naruto's return to the village by allowing him to eat as much as he wished, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki left the small restaurant with a belly full of ramen and a huge grin on his face. His good mood, however, wouldn't last for long. The silver-haired Jounin was running late to the very challenge he himself had issued, and honestly, the members of Team 7 had no one to blame but themselves for waiting for Kakashi to show up, as if his tardiness wasn't already legendary.

"Why are you so surprised, Naruto? This is Kakashi-sensei we're talking about. He's never been very keen on punctuality," Sakura said.

Shujinko remained silent as he sat on the grass, leaning against the chain-link fence that surrounded the training grounds. After training with Kakashi for three years, he had pretty much gotten used to his sensei's tardiness. In plenty of occasions, Shujinko had begged Kakashi to please put an end to his annoying habit, but as time went by, Shujinko eventually realized the silver-haired Jounin simply wasn't going to change.

Even so, Shujinko always showed up to his training sessions on schedule, fully aware that his sensei was going to be late. Instead of wasting his time doing nothing of value, Shujinko spent those hours training and improving his skills on his own before Kakashi arrived. After all, ninjas were supposed to be self-sufficient regardless of the importance of teamwork, and he used those few hours of privacy perfecting his arsenal of abilities… particularly those that would help him achieve his goal of surpassing his sensei.

"I know, I know, but I was hoping he would've stopped doing this by now," Naruto replied as he placed his hands on the back of his head, looking at the clouds above. "I guess it's my fault for giving him Ero-sennin's new book. He probably stayed at home reading that garbage and forgot all about our test,"

POOF

The Ozuma smirked as he heard the sound of smoke appearing out of nowhere and fading away just as quickly. "It was about time you showed up, Kakashi-sensei. We were waiting for you,"

"Hey there," Kakashi said as he stood on top of the fence, giving his student his trademark eye-smile while holding his precious Icha Icha on one hand. "Sorry for being late. You see, I went to pick up my laundry and I happened to run into an old lady who-"

"OH, GIVE US A BREAK!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison. Three years had gone by, and yet Kakashi still had the nerve to come up with completely idiotic excuses to justify his tardiness, just like he used to since the beginning of Team 7. Honestly, did the man have no shame at all?

A thick drop of sweat rolled down Kakashi's temple. Back in the day, his students used to at least let him finish his excuses, but now they wouldn't even let him do that. It was clear that patience was a virtue they had still yet to learn.

Kakashi proceeded to guide his students deep into the training grounds and led them to the place where he intended to start his challenge. To their surprise, they arrived at a specific location inside the training grounds, where three wooden posts were stuck into the ground. Shujinko immediately remembered the time when Kakashi threatened to tie them to those posts so that they would be forced to watch him eat lunch should they fail to pass his test.

"This sure brings back old memories, doesn't it?" Sakura said with a soft voice.

"It certainly does," Shujinko replied, a light smile on his melancholic face. "This is the place where we had our first test as Team 7. We were just kids back then. We thought we had everything figured out because we had just graduated from the Academy. That bell test was the first lesson we received from the real world,"

That day, the combined strength of the members from Team 7 was enough to snatch the bells from Kakashi, but now that he was older, Shujinko knew they would've never been able to get them either through teamwork or through personal effort. Kakashi had allowed them to get the bells on purpose, for that was not the real reason behind the test. What Kakashi wanted was to see a display of teamwork and that was exactly what he got, even if Shujinko and his teammates never realized what the true purpose of the bell test was until Kakashi explained it to them.

"I remember how it used to be," Naruto spoke as he slightly narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze on the wooden posts. "We had to work as a team to get those bells, and that was exactly what we did… Sasuke helped too. The four of us working together…"

Both Naruto and Sakura experienced flashbacks of the last time they each saw Sasuke. The pink-haired kunoichi remembered how she begged Sasuke to stay in the village, with rampant tears streaming down her face as she pledged her love to him. And when she was about to start screaming hysterically for help, Sasuke suddenly appeared behind her back and knocked her unconscious, but not before uttering a simple phrase that still perplexed Sakura to this very day: _"Sakura… Thank you for everything,"_

As for the Uzumaki, the memory of his battle against Sasuke in the Valley of the End kept replaying in his mind every time he thought about his lost friend. He gave it everything he had, he fought until the bitter end, he even used some of the Kyuubi's power to balance the scale between him and Sasuke, who had the Sharingan and Orochimaru's Curse Mark… but in the end, he was unable to keep his promise to Sakura. His friend and rival left the village for the sake of power, and Naruto blamed himself for not being strong enough to stop him when he had to.

'Looks like it's still too soon to mention Sasuke around them,' Kakashi thought as he watched how a semi-comical gloomy aura surrounded two of his sulking students. He then turned to his other student, and he couldn't help but notice how unaffected Shujinko seemed to be after hearing the name of his rogue teammate. If anything, he almost looked bored, as if Sasuke abandoning Konohagakure had been nothing but an insignificant incident to him, an irrelevant misunderstanding buried in the past.

"Maybe we should get this thing started, Kakashi-sensei. I don't know about you, but I think we've wasted enough time already," Shujinko suggested, to which Naruto and Sakura raised their heads.

"I suppose you're right. This is what we're gonna do," the Jounin replied. He then grabbed three small bells attached to a fine red lace and placed them in his waist, just like he did during the first lesson of Team 7. "Unlike the last time, there are three bells for the three of you. There's no hidden meaning to this test. All you simply have to do is to take these bells away from me by any means necessary. You have until tomorrow's sunrise, and remember, teamwork is the single most essential element that any ninja squad must possess. Now, show me what you've learned,"

"You got it!" Naruto exclaimed as he tightened the knot of his headband. "I'm warning you, sensei, we're getting those bells one way or another!"

Sakura put on a pair of black gloves and wiggled her fingers to adjust them. "I've been waiting for this opportunity to come. I'm not the same weak and helpless little girl that I was three years ago, and I'll make sure to prove that today,"

Finally, Shujinko stretched his neck and shoulders, getting his body warmed up before the start of the challenge. The feeling of fighting Kakashi alongside his teammates was enough to get Shujinko's blood pumping, for he too had something to prove. After years of training, sparring, and learning, this was the perfect chance to see how close to achieving his goal he now was. "I hope you're done reading that book, Kakashi-sensei. You won't be able to read it while we're coming at you,"

"Actually, I'm only halfway through it," Kakashi replied as he placed his novel inside his back pouch. "If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm dying to start reading the next chapter, but I suppose I can wait until this is over. And besides…" the silver-haired Jounin lifted his headband, revealing a red eye with three tomoes. "… I get the feeling that I shouldn't take this challenge so lightly,"

'He's going to use the Sharingan, huh?' Shujinko thought as he tightened his muscles. 'Looks like Kakashi-sensei has no intention of playing silly games with us… Good,'

"Now then… Should we get started?"

* * *

Aaaaand that was chapter 1. Hope you all liked it.

Welcome to the first installment of "Shujinko Shippuden", the sequel to "Shujinko: The Fourth Member". The reason it took me this long to upload is because I wanted to write the first chapters of "When Chi Meets Chakra: A Space-Time Adventure" before getting this story started. If you haven't read "Shujinko: The Fourth Member" yet, I highly recommend you to do that. This chapter was an introduction more than anything else. Most of the interactions here revolve around the fact that Naruto has returned to the village, so this chapter is not as Shujinko-centered as they usually are.

Also, what are your opinions on Shujinko being a Jounin? Before you post a review calling Shujinko "overpowered" for being a Jounin, hear me out: Yes, Shujinko is young for a Jounin (he's 16 now), but don't forget that he became a Chunin when he was 13 during the very last chapter of "Shujinko: The Fourth Member", and it took him about three years to obtain the rank of Jounin. Also, he spent those three years training under the tutelage of none other than Kakashi Hatake, a shinobi who joined the ANBU Black Ops when he was 13 (or around that age). Imagine what someone with Shujinko's potential could achieve in three years with the help of a personal sensei like Kakashi. All in all, I sincerely believe Shujinko being a Jounin at his age is possible, but you're welcome to disagree with me if you think otherwise.

The bell test is taking place in the next chapter. Are you excited? I sure as hell am.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2 (part 1)

**CHAPTER 2: THE BELL TEST (PART 1)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)

"Talking / Jutsu"

'Thinking'

'_Flashback'_

"_Flashback talk"_

"**Demonic voice"**

_Letter / Emphasis_

* * *

"Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed as he threw a couple of shurikens at Kakashi, who ducked down and responded in kind. Naruto jumped high into the air, and when the silver-haired Jounin threw another set of shurikens at him, Naruto created a shadow clone that grabbed the Kyuubi Jinchuriki and got him out of the way.

'He used a shadow clone to avoid the incoming shurikens,' Shujinko thought as he opened his holster and grabbed a kunai, ready to strike at a moment's notice. 'It's good to know that Naruto has found other uses for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Shadow clones have always been his specialty, after all,'

Instead of jumping into the fight right away, Shujinko waited in his spot along with Sakura. He wanted to see some of the results of Naruto's training so he could take them into consideration the moment he began developing a plan to seize the bells from Kakashi. Unlike the last time, his sensei wasn't going to go easy on them, as proved by the fact that he was using his Sharingan. A sharp mind, combined with the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan and a plethora of jutsus at his disposal made the Copy Ninja a formidable opponent to go up against.

"Henge no Jutsu!" Clone Naruto said, transforming itself into a giant shuriken that was wielded by the original Naruto. However, before Naruto could throw the giant shuriken, Kakashi appeared behind his back and grabbed his student's wrist while holding a kunai close to his neck.

"Looks like someone is a little impatient. Didn't I ever taught you never to leave your back unprotected?" Kakashi asked.

POOF

"You sure did, Kakashi-sensei. Maybe you should follow your own advice instead," a grinning shadow clone of Naruto replied after 'poofing' into existence, standing right behind Kakashi. Thanks to his remarkable eyesight, Shujinko had managed to see the exact moment when Naruto created his second shadow clone. Of course, if he saw it, then Kakashi had to have seen it as well, but it was a nice move all the same.

"Well well, you have grown after all. Your timing with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu has improved considerably…However, you still have a lot to learn," Kakashi said as he looked back at Clone Naruto, smiling faintly behind his mask. "Just like the last time, you began your attack before I had the chance to say 'start',"

The grin on Clone Naruto's face was replaced by a small smirk, keeping the tip of his kunai inches away from Kakashi's back. "In that case, just say start already. I'm itching to take those bells, believe it,"

"As you wish. Ready, and… start!"

POOF

"What the…" Both Naruto and his shadow clone were taken by surprise when Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a log of wood in his place through the use of the Kawarimi no Jutsu. "It can't be, he escaped! Damn it, I should've known he was going to do something like that!"

Both Sakura and Shujinko shook their heads. From what little they had seen, Naruto's abilities had indeed grown, but he was still lacking in the foresight department. Someone like Hatake Kakashi, a shinobi who appeared in the Bingo Book and who was known all throughout the shinobi world as the Copy Ninja and the Sharingan Warrior, would never allow himself to be cornered that easily and that fast. In any case, while their prime objective was to complete Kakashi's challenge, Shujinko also wanted to enjoy the challenge alongside his teammates, and it would've been a huge letdown had they caught the bells in less than a minute.

Naruto dispelled his shadow clones and turned to face his teammates. "We can't waste any more time. Let's go find Kakashi-sensei!"

"Calm down, Naruto. Before we find him, we need to at least have some sort of strategy ready. Don't forget this is Kakashi-sensei we're talking about," Shujinko replied, adopting a serious tone that demanded Naruto to pay attention to him. "There's a reason why Kakashi-sensei gave us twenty-four hours to snatch those bells from him. He wants us to use that time to come up with an effective plan of action, and not so that we chase after him like clueless bulls in a stampede,"

Sakura nodded in understanding. "You're right, Shujinko. We should come up with a strategy before we go after Kakashi-sensei. Do you have any ideas?"

The Jounin remained silent for a while, thinking of all the sparring matches and the training lessons he had endured with Kakashi so far. They needed to exploit all the advantages they had at their disposal. More precisely, they had to make the most out of Shujinko's knowledge of Kakashi's abilities, Sakura's monstrous strength, and Naruto's virtually unlimited amount of chakra. They had the strength in numbers, and enough intel on their adversary to avoid unwanted surprises for the most part.

At the same time, Kakashi's experience outmatched theirs by a long shot. His list of jutsus was beyond extensive as well, and in the event that one of them tried to attack the silver-haired Jounin with a technique previously unknown to him, he could use his Sharingan to both anticipate and learn said technique in a matter of seconds. Not only that, but he had also trained Shujinko himself, which meant that there was nothing Shujinko could do to take the Sharingan Warrior by surprise… Well, almost nothing.

"For the time being, we should focus on wearing him out," Shujinko began to say. "Kakashi-sensei is using his Sharingan. This allows him to predict our moves for the most part, but it also drains his chakra faster. Going for the bells straight away would be a waste of time and energy, but if we prolong the fight long enough and force him to constantly use his Sharingan, he'll grow tired faster than we will, and that will give us the advantage that we need,"

"…So, you're basically telling us to ignore the bells and focus on fighting Kakashi-sensei for now?"

"That's about the gist of it, Naruto. However, it's not going to be an easy job. Over the past three years, Kakashi-sensei has increased his chakra reserves in order to use his Sharingan for extended periods of time. Back when we first fought Zabuza, Kakashi-sensei spent a lot of chakra thanks to his Sharingan and ended up collapsing in front of us. But that's no longer the case, so we better be ready,"

Sakura took a step forward and met Shujinko's gaze. "For how long can he use the Sharingan now?"

"I don't know for sure. At least a couple of hours, and for a guy like Kakashi-sensei, a couple of hours is more than enough time to beat someone. That's why I said we need to wear him out first, because if we don't, catching those bells is going to be a huge pain,"

"Wait a second, how come you know so much about Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan, Shujinko?" Naruto asked. "I mean, it's not like Kakashi-sensei goes around telling people how his Sharingan works, so what gives?"

The Ozuma blinked. "Didn't I tell you? When you left the village, I became Kakashi-sensei's only student, and I've been training with him ever since. I've seen him use his Sharingan in many occasions. Not only that, but I've also studied it as thoroughly as I could, so that when the time came, I'd be prepared to face _him_ in battle,"

It was faint. Almost nonexistent, really. Still, when Shujinko uttered the word 'him', Sakura could've sworn there had been an underlying tone in his voice. It was as if, for some reason, her brown-haired teammate wasn't just referring to Kakashi, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to Sakura. "Is that why you've been studying the Sharingan all this time? So that you could one day take on Kakashi-sensei?" she asked. Her question seemed to be unnecessary given what Shujinko had just said, but the pink-haired kunoichi wanted to hear his answer regardless.

Unlike Naruto, who was giving Sakura a weird look, Shujinko's face remained undisturbed as he stared at the grove in front of them. "My goal is to surpass Kakashi-sensei one day. I swore to myself that I would. If I am to become a shinobi stronger than him, I can't ignore the fact that he wields the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan. I won't be satisfied until I know I can defeat Kakashi-sensei in a fair fight, with neither of us holding back… In any case, now that we've established what our plan is, we should get started. Naruto, Sakura, follow my lead. Kakashi-sensei can't be too far away from here,"

And just like that, Shujinko began to run and entered the grove. "O-Oi! Wait up, Shujinko!" Naruto shouted as he and Sakura followed him. Soon, the three members of Team 7 were moving in midair, hopping from one tree branch to another in a triangular formation with Shujinko at the front.

As they continued to move forward, Shujinko was thinking about the answer he had just given to Sakura. Each and every one of his words had been true. He hadn't told a single lie… However, there was another reason as to why he had studied the Sharingan with so much attention, a reason he hadn't told anyone, including his own sensei. The Sharingan was a powerful weapon in and of itself, especially when wielded by the likes of Kakashi. But Kakashi wasn't the only one who possessed the visual prowess that gave the Uchiha clan a legendary reputation. Both Sasuke and Itachi were still out there, and after three years, Shujinko could only imagine how much stronger those two individuals had gotten.

The Ozuma remembered when he became a Jounin not too long ago. Kakashi gave him a copy of a Bingo Book as a gift, and the first profile Shujinko searched for was Itachi's. To put it simply, Itachi wasn't just a prodigy, but a prodigy amongst prodigies. That guy had not only graduated from the Ninja Academy in less than a year, but by the time he was eleven, he was already a member of the ANBU and even became an ANBU captain just two years later. Shujinko couldn't believe how preposterously talented Itachi was, and he finally understood why Sasuke was so fixated on acquiring power at any cost, for killing someone like that sounded next to impossible. Now that he had a general idea of what was Sasuke's brother capable of, Shujinko often berated his younger-self for even attempting to confront Itachi head on three years ago, when he encountered him and Kisame in Shukuba Town.

As for Sasuke, there was no telling how much stronger he had grown under Orochimaru's tutelage, but it was more than obvious that he was far more dangerous than he ever was before. Since he was to become the next vessel of the Snake Sannin, Sasuke had probably been taught a myriad of techniques and abilities, and his mastery over the Sharingan could have only reached new levels. However, what worried Shujinko the most was not knowing how twisted and vile his former teammate had become after spending three years with a twisted and vile shinobi such as Orochimaru. After all, students not only learned Ninjutsu from their masters, but more often than not, they also adopted their way of thinking and their mentality.

At any rate, both Sasuke and Itachi were bad news. In the event that he ran into either of them, no matter what the circumstances were, Shujinko had to prepare himself for one hell of a fight. Learning how to counter the Sharingan was not only crucial to his goal of surpassing his sensei; he had to do it if he wanted to stand a chance against the Uchiha siblings whenever he came across them again.

Shujinko wasn't exactly sure why, but he had a feeling that he was going to encounter the two of them sooner rather than later. He narrowed his eyes and stepped up the pace, telling himself that the only thing he should be focused on right now was the challenge at hand. "Naruto, Sakura, listen carefully. Once we find Kakashi-sensei, this is what we're gonna do…"

* * *

"_Tomorrow… When I wake up… I'm not going to see you sleeping next to me. That's the truth, isn't it Iture? You'll be gone by the time the sun sets,"_

_Iture lifted his eyes and stared longingly at the woman sitting on his bed. Instead of her fancy kimono, she was wearing a nightgown so thin it was almost transparent, inviting his gaze to stay fixated on her alluring body. Her hair, black as the night the two of them had first met, was undone, and her curls adorned her generous bosom. For a brief moment, Iture remained silent, like a traveler admiring the scenery of a beautiful landscape no man had ever explored before, but he soon came back to his senses as he finished the last bottle of sake he had left. "That's right. This is your father's land, and we both know what will happen if he finds out I'm here with you. It's a risk neither of us can take,"_

"_But… You saved me, Iture. You rescued me from those bandits and brought me home safe and sound. Once he knows the truth, my father will-"_

"_Your father won't listen to you, Muruki. He'll most certainly not listen to me, the man he has sworn to kill. You know that as well as I do,"_

_Like shooting stars in the blue sky, Iture saw how the light in Muruki's eyes faded away, becoming little more than a pair of empty sapphires. It was like witnessing an angel losing its wings, and it pained him more than what he cared to admit. Iture was a man who was destined to never settle down, to never develop everlasting attachments, for such bonds would never last. Not with the lifestyle that he carried. He was a rascal._

_A rascal with a heart, but a rascal all the same._

"_I… I understand," she whispered. "If that's the case, then…" Slowly but firmly, Muruki stood up and took off her obi belt, allowing her nightgown to slip down her body, revealing every single inch of her naked flesh. Iture's mouth went dry, even more so when he heard Muruki's voice. "We began this journey as enemies. Let's end it… as lovers,"_

"_Muruki…"_

'Jiraiya-sama has truly outdone himself this time by writing this masterpiece,' Kakashi said to himself, savoring every paragraph written in his recently acquired erotic novel. 'The pace, the atmosphere, the characters, everything is excellent. I shouldn't be reading this while those three are out to get me, but it's just so-'

His thoughts were interrupted by the approaching sound of metal cutting through the air. With his shinobi instincts kicking in, Kakashi immediately jumped out of the way, closing his book and placing it inside his back pouch just in time to see a kunai getting embedded into a tree. Attached to the weapon was an explosive tag already on fire, but instead of producing an explosion, the tag simply burned and turned into ashes.

Kakashi's eyes widened. 'It's a distraction!'

When he turned around, his Sharingan allowed him to react to a punch from Shujinko. He then grabbed his wrist and placed his other hand under his armpit to throw him to the side, using Shujinko's momentum against him. Shujinko twirled around in midair and quickly landed on his feet before his back could touch the tree behind him. "Not too shabby, Kakashi-sensei," Shujinko said. "Looks like I'm gonna need to put more effort into distracting you, even if you can't help but read that garbage novel of yours,"

"Garbage novel, you say?" Kakashi replied. "Why, I will have you know that this is Jiraiya-sama's finest work so far. But I suppose I can't blame you for not being able to recognize greatness when it's written. I may have taught you how to be a ninja, but I never took the time to teach you how to appreciate good literature,"

Shujinko scoffed. "Sure, whatever you say. Anyways, I'm not interested in that filthy book, I just want to take those bells from you and get this over with. You better be ready, Kakashi-sensei, because here I come,"

And with that said, student and teacher began to exchange blows. Shujinko attacked the silver-haired Jounin with relentless kicks and punches, but Kakashi dodged them with relative ease thanks to his Sharingan. 'Something isn't right,' Kakashi thought as he ducked down to avoid a right hook. 'Shujinko is acting a little too confident for his own good. He's aware that he can't take me on by himself, and yet here he is. Besides, his Taijutsu feels off. His movements are different from what I'm used to seeing. His voice feels slightly forced as well. Could it be that…'

"Haaaaa!" Shujinko looked like he was going to attempt a punch, but instead tried to make a grab for the bells. Kakashi grabbed Shujinko's wrist before his fingertips could get close to his objective and did the same thing to his other wrist when the Ozuma tried his luck a second time. "Darn it… I was so close…"

"Is that so?" Kakashi sounded amused as he restrained his student. "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu," Shujinko suddenly felt something grabbing his ankles and pulling him downwards. In a matter of seconds, his body got buried beneath the ground between several layers of hard soil, leaving only his head above the surface. Once this happened, a shadow clone of Kakashi erupted from the ground. "You know, the Henge no Jutsu is a very versatile technique, but it won't do you any favors if you can't portray individuals in an accurate manner. How about you drop the act and reveal who you really are?"

The Jounin said nothing at first, but after a short while, his body released a cloud of smoke. By undoing the Henge no Jutsu, 'Shujinko' had been replaced by the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, who was giving Kakashi an awkward smile. "Alright, you got me, sensei. I know this is supposed to be a teamwork exercise and all that, but I couldn't resist myself and I had to see if you were as strong as I remember. It was just a tiny whim, believe it,"

"Well, this tiny whim has sure cost you dearly," Kakashi said as his shadow clone disappeared. "You're now unable to move your body except for your head. What happens now?"

"Heh, I'm glad you asked that, Kakashi-sensei. Now the real fight begins!"

POOF

Kakashi's eyes widened when 'Naruto', who in reality had been a shadow clone using the Henge no Jutsu, disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 'Another distraction?'

SWOOSH

Out of nowhere, Shujinko appeared in a blur and almost managed to land a punch on Kakashi. His fist nearly grazed the Copy Ninja's cheek, but Kakashi was fast enough to react in time and moved to the side. 'Such speed… I nearly couldn't sense him coming,' Kakashi thought alarmed.

Now that Shujinko had moved past him, Kakashi seized his chance and attacked his student from behind, but Shujinko quickly shifter his body around and raised his forearm, protecting himself from Kakashi's incoming fist. He retaliated by sending a right kick to his opponent's ribs, but Kakashi stopped it by grabbing his ankle. Then, using both his hands, he threw the Ozuma away like a ragdoll. Shujinko twirled around in midair and raised a cloud of dust as his feet slid across the ground, eventually coming to a halt.

"So you used a fake explosive tag and one of Naruto's shadow clones as a double distraction. Not bad, but it's still not enough," Kakashi commented. 'The way he came at me during that first attack… it didn't felt like he was using his natural speed. I've seen that technique before plenty of times, but to apply it in direct combat…' "Looks like someone has been practicing the Shunshin no Jutsu quite a bit these past few weeks. It's a rather unorthodox jutsu to use in a fight, if I do say so myself,"

"You're right, sensei. It is unorthodox, which is precisely what makes it so useful," Shujinko replied. His enlarged pupils and the golden marks that covered his eyes and reached his ears told Kakashi his student had activated the Karura Tensei, the Kekkei Genkai of the Ozuma clan. He now understood how Shujinko had been able to track him down so easily. "When you taught me this jutsu, you said it wasn't a battle-oriented technique, but I thought otherwise,"

The Shunshin no Jutsu was, in essence, the vitalization of the body through the use of chakra which allows the user to travel a variety of distances at great speed, to the point where the user looks as though they were teleporting themselves instead of moving. In and of itself, the Shunshin no Jutsu wasn't a complicated technique given how it fell into the D-rank category of jutsus. Most ninjas were able to perform it with barely any difficulty, using it as a convenient transportation method.

However, there were several reasons as to why ninjas almost never used the Shunshin no Jutsu for battle purposes. During close-quarter combats, measuring the desired distance and getting the timing right was hard enough to do, but the main problem was the momentum acquired in the seconds during which the shinobi went from one spot to another. Once the Shunshin no Jutsu had been performed, the sudden drop of speed left the shinobi wide open to enemy attacks, and attempting a second Shunshin no Jutsu immediately after required incredible reflexes and superb control over one's own velocity. The combination of these factors made the Shunshin no Jutsu a thoroughly impractical technique to use in combat.

Shujinko became aware of these risks early on once he began using the Shunshin no Jutsu, and at first, he considered giving up on the idea of incorporating the Shunshin no Jutsu to his fighting style. However, after days of careful research, he realized how much potential this technique had if he obtained complete mastery over it. During his investigation, the Ozuma came across the name of a certain Uchiha Shisui, who was nicknamed 'Shunshin no Shisui'. The more he read about him, the more impressed he became by his prowess, especially his ability to use the Shunshin no Jutsu flawlessly during the most intense battles. Several books even described Shisui as a living ghost capable of appearing and disappearing in a blink of an eye, leaving no traces behind whatsoever.

Inspired by him, and convinced that this was something worth investing effort on, Shujinko became determined to take the Shunshin no Jutsu to a whole other level until he could use it effectively in a fight. He worked on it in secret, away from the eyes of even his sensei. After three years of trial and error, as well as multiple scratches and bruises, Shujinko had finally learned how to control the Shunshin no Jutsu to the point where he could use it as a form of attack as well as a means of escape, using the Karura Tensei to enhance his reflexes and help him calculate when and where to use it.

Even so, his expertise with the Shunshin no Jutsu still wasn't on par with Shisui's, whose name alone used to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. It would take him years of practice to acquire a similar level of mastery over the technique, but despite that, he was still satisfied with the results he had gotten so far. Of course, Shujinko was anything but a conformist, and he was determined to improve his abilities and become a renowned shinobi of Konohagakure.

"In that case, I better be cautious. I wouldn't want my student to surpass his sensei at such a young age," Kakashi said, half-joking and half-serious. He focused his gaze on Shujinko, analyzing each and every sudden shift of his body. It was a good thing that he was using his Sharingan because the next thing he saw was a blurry image of Shujinko coming straight at him.

Using the Shunshin no Jutsu once again, Shujinko leaped forward and attacked Kakashi with a straight kick. Kakashi withstood the attack by crossing his forearms in front of his chest. Performing a backward summersault, Shujinko pushed himself away from his sensei and the two of them engaged in a Taijutsu combat just like they had done many times during their training lessons together.

After the young Jounin blocked two of Kakashi's punches with the dorsal side of his hands, Kakashi took a step forward and performed a spinning back fist at great speed, to which Shujinko evaded by ducking down. The Sharingan Warrior saw the opportunity to go for a rear horse kick, but the Karura Tensei allowed the Ozuma to stop Kakashi by grabbing his heel.

Then, once the attack had been stopped, Shujinko immediately countered by raising Kakashi's ankle upwards and delivering a strong kick to the leg Kakashi was standing on, striking his knee pit and sweeping him off his feet. The silver-haired Jounin lost his balance, but as he fell, he performed a rotation that allowed him to place both his hands on the ground before sending a kick with his free leg. Shujinko reacted by raising his left forearm, but the sheer strength behind the kick was enough to send him a couple of steps back, losing his grip on his sensei.

The golden-eyed teenager frowned. There was little point in facing Kakashi using hand-to-hand combat, at least in his case. Shujinko's Taijutsu style was quite similar to Kakashi's in terms of how they moved, and that was due to the fact that Shujinko had learned almost all of his Taijutsu from his sensei. Not to mention that Sharingan of his was quite annoying to deal with. 'Still, I have to stick to the plan. Naruto and Sakura should be able to switch things up,'

Kakashi charged forward, this time wielding a kunai. Shujinko pulled out a kunai of his own and faced him head-on. The sound of metal clashing against metal soon echoed through the forest like a song, a song played by ninjas with sharp weapons as their instruments. It wasn't long before the sensei and the student found themselves in a stalemate, both of them grabbing each other's right wrist with their left hand. With the two of them being right-handed, they couldn't move the hand with which they were holding their kunai without their opponent doing the same thing.

"Now, Naruto!"

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki jumped down from the top of a tree, holding a spiraling sphere of chakra. "Rasengan!"

The Yondaime's technique was aimed at both Shujinko and Kakashi. The Sharingan Warrior attempted to move out of the way, but Shujinko was not only grabbing his wrist firmly, he was also sticking his feet to the ground through the use of chakra. Kakashi had no other choice but to let go of Shujinko seconds before Naruto delivered the blow.

BAAAM

The Rasengan destroyed the spot where Shujinko and Kakashi had been standing on, leaving the ground shattered and fissured. Shujinko was standing with his back against a tree several feet away, having jumped back before Naruto's Rasengan had made an impact. "Oh man, I almost had him," Naruto said in annoyance before glancing at his teammate. "Are you okay, Shujinko?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. It was a risky move but it was worth a shot," Shujinko replied while removing the dust out of his clothes. 'Man, that Rasengan technique of his packs a punch. I sure wouldn't like being on the receiving end of it,' he thought as he stared at the hole in the ground. 'If Jiraiya-sama was the one who taught him that, only Kami knows what else he's been teaching him,'

"So what now? Are we gonna move on to the second stage of our plan?" Naruto asked, to which Shujinko nodded.

"That's correct. This is the part where you come in, Naruto," he said before casting a subtle glance at a random tree not so far away from where they were. "Don't waste your time hiding there, Kakashi-sensei. I can feel your presence. Why don't you come out so that you can check our teamwork firsthand?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, crouching behind the trunk of a large tree. 'I keep forgetting Shujinko can sense my chakra when he's in Sage Mode, no matter how well I suppress it. I need to place a considerable distance between me and him if I want to disappear from his radar, but right now, there's no point in hiding,' he thought before standing up and walking out of his hiding spot, allowing himself to be seen by Naruto and Shujinko. "Well well, looks like you haven't lost all of your teamwork. Not a bad start, but you're gonna need more than just a couple of distractions if you want to succeed,"

"Trust me, sensei. Distractions aren't the only thing we have in store for you. We're just getting warmed up!" Naruto exclaimed as he crossed his fingers. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Several clouds of smoke burst into existence, revealing a total of forty shadow clones ready to have a go at it with the silver-haired Jounin.

'The sheer amount of shadow clones he can create still astonishes me,' Kakashi thought. 'Then again, strength in numbers has always been Naruto's thing. That much hasn't changed,' "Very well, then. Bring it on,"

"Haaaaaah!" Naruto's small army of shadow clones began its attack, charging at full speed. Kakashi jumped forward, landing on the center of the group and began to decimate the shadow clones one by one. Despite being outnumbered, Kakashi still retained most of his stamina and was able to fend them off using his Sharingan and his Taijutsu alone. It wasn't long before the number of clones was reduced to half.

At one point, Kakashi found himself surrounded by shadow clones coming at him from all directions, and so he jumped high into the air to escape. As he went up, three other clones jumped down from above, intending to catch the Copy Ninja by surprise. However, they hardly posed a threat to Kakashi, who opened a blank scroll and caught them with ease by wrapping them up.

"The Omote Renge!" Observing the fight in the background, Shujinko immediately recognized the technique of his rival Lee, having seen it more than once during the last three years.

Kakashi and Naruto's shadow clones began their descent back towards the ground. Although they looked quite similar, Shujinko could tell Kakashi's Omote Renge was a watered-down version of Lee's, as it lacked the same amount of speed and finishing power. It made sense since the Omote Renge placed the human body under quite a bit of strain and his sensei was dealing with regular shadow clones, so using such dangerous technique just to take out a couple of regular shadow clones would've been highly unnecessary.

BAAM

POOF POOF POOF

Watered down version or not, Kakashi's Omote Renge was more than enough to take care of the shadow clones, who all disappeared as soon as they met the ground. "I wonder who amongst you is the real Naruto," Kakashi asked out loud as he stood up straight, noticing how the rest of the shadow clones were suddenly standing still, as if waiting for something to happen.

"I'm right here, sensei!" Naruto shouted as he got out from behind a bush and started running towards the Copy Ninja. He was weaving the Tiger hand sign and his fingertips were aiming directly at Kakashi's lower back. "It's payback time, believe it!"

Kakashi's eyes widened so much they were nearly popping out of their sockets. "W-What!? Oh no!"

"SENNEN GOROSHI!"

Just before Naruto's fingers could go up somewhere they didn't belong in, Kakashi jumped away as fast as he could, saving himself from a very unwanted, very painful prostate exam. "Darn it, I thought I had him for sure this time," Naruto said. He hadn't forgotten the agony and the humiliation he experienced during Team 7's first bell test, and he really wanted to get back at Kakashi for having the nerve to stick his fingers into his private parts.

'That was too close,' Kakashi thought while drops of cold sweat rolled down his temples. 'I nearly saw my life flash before my eyes,'

Shujinko couldn't help but slap his own forehead. Of course Naruto would to try to pull one of his shenanigans in the middle of a battle. It would've been such a silly way of winning that it sort of made Shujinko glad that it didn't work out, if only for Kakashi's sake. 'No more goofing around. It's time to call in the big guns,' the Ozuma thought before raising his voice. "Naruto, clear off! Sakura, do your thing now!"

"Huh?" Kakashi watched as one of Naruto's clones jumped high into the air while the original Naruto fled the scene. Then, as the shadow clone began its descent, it released a cloud of smoke and revealed itself to be Sakura, who had used the Henge no Jutsu in order to blend in with the rest of the clones without Kakashi being able to notice it.

"SHANAROOOOO!"

BAAAAAAAAAAAM

Her fist obliterated the terrain the moment it made contact. Like a small meteorite falling from the sky, Sakura's punch destroyed large chunks of earth, deforming the layout of the battlefield to an extensive degree. Even the trees surrounding Sakura had fallen, and of course, the rest of Naruto's shadow clones had been annihilated. Kakashi himself was thrown away by the raw strength displayed by Sakura, which seemed to rival that of her master, the Godaime Hokage.

'Wh… What… What the hell...' Naruto, who was hanging from a tree branch after being told to get out of Sakura's way, was in complete shock. During the time in which they discussed their plan together, Shujinko had mentioned to him the physical prowess Sakura had acquired over the years due to her medical training, but witnessing it was something completely different. The thought of getting hit by one of those fists almost made Naruto soil his underwear. 'I really, really need to stop acting like an idiot in front of Sakura-chan. If I don't, she's gonna kill me for sure,'

Even Shujinko, who had seen Sakura's progress while she was learning from Tsunade, was still impressed. Thanks to her amazing chakra control, which only got better and better over the years, Sakura had learned how to focus her chakra in one specific point and release it all at once, causing untold damage to whatever or whoever received her punch. She was indeed a one-hit juggernaut, as well as an excellent medical ninja. It was amusing to compare her to her previous-self, given how abysmal the difference in strength and usefulness was.

Taking advantage of how dumbstruck his sensei was, Shujinko lowered his knees and performed the Shunshin no Jutsu, appearing right in front of Kakashi and delivering a left hook, smacking him hard across the face. The sound of his fist hitting Kakashi's face was heard loud and clear.

"Way to go, Shujinko! You got him!" Naruto cheered.

POOF

Nothing could be further from the truth. Kakashi's body became a log of wood that was sent flying back until it crashed against a tree.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu. I should've known he was about to use it," Shujinko said as he stared as his reddened knuckles. He then deactivated his Kekkei Genkai and gestured his teammates to gather up, which they soon did. "Kakashi-sensei is no longer here. He's escaping right now, most likely to rethink his strategy,"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get him now before he goes too far away!" Naruto shouted, impatient as ever. "The whole idea behind our plan is to press Kakashi-sensei and wear him out, so why are we giving him time to escape?"

While Naruto had a valid point, he failed to see the bigger picture. Pressing Kakashi and wearing him out was indeed the plan, but the way they went about it had to change since the first encounter against their sensei had already taken place. "Look at it this way, Naruto. Kakashi-sensei just saw some of our abilities which he was previously unaware of and he will react accordingly, meaning that we can't attempt the same tricks again. Since we're lucky to have time, we should use it wisely and come up with another tactic instead of repeating this one over and over again,"

Sakura nodded in agreement. "In that case, maybe the three of us should attack him all at once the next time we see him. If we take turns like we just did, he'll realize what we're trying to do and be ready for it,"

The Ozuma frowned. The three of them attacking Kakashi together could make it harder for the silver-haired Jounin to predict their moves, but it also made their teamwork less coordinated as they would be acting more independently. It's not like they could communicate with each other through telepathy or something. "Well, I suppose it's worth a shot, but we need to establish a few things before we act. Follow me, I have a few ideas we could try out,"

* * *

'Those three have certainly come a long way. They barely seem to be the Genins I used to teach,' Kakashi thought, looking over his shoulder as he hopped from one tree branch to another. Despite the briefness of the first assault, Kakashi was impressed by his old students, all of them. They weren't messing around and they had displayed good teamwork so far, even if the bells tied to his waist were still intact. 'I'm glad I spent these last three years working on my Sharingan and the lingering effects it has on my body, because I might have to use it at all times until this challenge is over,'

Naruto was showing growth. Though he was still as eager as ever, he seemed more focused now, calmer even. He waited until it was his time to act, and when he had to act, he didn't do so like a fool who could afford to spend tons of chakra. His skills with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu had improved as well, although said improvement had more to do with how he used his shadow clones rather than how many of them he was able to dish out. And of course, Naruto had the Rasengan in his arsenal, a very powerful technique that only he, Jiraiya, and Kakashi himself knew how to perform. That blonde knucklehead was demonstrating a lot of potential.

Sakura's advancement was even scarier. Who would've thought that little bookworm who kept fawning over Sasuke would eventually become strong enough to resemble a second Tsunade? The Godaime Hokage had deliberately kept him in the dark regarding Sakura's training, only throwing bits of information here and there. Now he could see why she had done it, so that the pinkette would take him by surprise once the challenge had been issued. Well, Kakashi was surprised alright, and we would have to keep an eye on those fists of her from now on.

As for Shujinko…

|_Flashback, Training grounds_|

_THUD_

_Shujinko fell on his back, sweating and gasping for breath. His skin and his clothes were covered in dirt and sporting several scratches after countless spars against Kakashi, who unlike his student, seemed to be in perfect shape. Six months had passed since Kakashi became Shujinko's personal sensei, and his rigorous training methods were putting the boy through the grinder._

"_Well, seeing how we've been going at it for hours, I think you've earned yourself a little break," Kakashi commented as he pulled out his erotic novel. "I doubt your body can handle much more. If you keep pushing it, you might end up unconscious and I'll have to carry you back to your house like the last time,"_

_Shujinko could only cough in response. His lungs and his throat were on fire. All of his efforts were focused on taking in as much oxygen as he could. 'The boy has reached his limit,' Kakashi thought. Since the first days the two of them started training together, Shujinko began to realize just how much of a slave-driver in disguise his sensei could be, and like a masochist, he refused to ask Kakashi to take it down a notch. However, there was only so much punishment his body could take, and if he wasn't careful, Shujinko could end up wounding himself or draining almost all of his chakra._

"_Here, let me help you," the Hatake said as he knelt next to Shujinko and placed a hand over the back of his head, slightly lifting him up. But as he did so, Kakashi noticed something._

_There was a cut on his forearm._

_It was little more than a thin line of red, a tiny scratch that had no blood coming out of it. To call it an injury would be an exaggeration as only a small child would cry over it. Kakashi hadn't even felt it up until now and could've spent the rest of the day without realizing it was there._

_But it was there, and it had been Shujinko's doing. Kakashi furrowed his brow. _

_Then, Shujinko rolled over and stood on his hands and knees, sweat dripping off his face. "… Not yet… I can… still go on, Kakashi-sensei… One more time… Just one more time…" And slowly but surely, the Chunin rose to his feet. He was gasping for breath and his facial skin was red, but his golden eyes were shining with the untamable desire to keep improving and to keep moving forward. "I can't afford to get tired… I can't afford to rest… We only have two and a half years and we have to make the most out of it… So let's keep practicing…"_

_The Ozuma stood in a sloppy fighting stance, looking like he was about to drop at any moment. After spending so much chakra throughout the day, the only thing Shujinko could do right now was to engage in Taijutsu combat, but in his current exhausted state, there was no way in hell he could ever hope to win against Kakashi. His sensei could quite literally beat him with both his hands tied behind his back if he wanted to. Kakashi was well aware of this, but even so, he couldn't help but smirk. Seeing his student so motivated and driven reminded Kakashi of Shujinko's goal to surpass him. In a way, he felt happy about it. _

_In the shinobi world, there was no greater glory for a sensei to be surpassed by his students, for it meant that his students had been well taught. The relationship between a sensei and a student was a bond that linked the lives of many ninjas throughout history, for every sensei had been a student of another shinobi at one point, and once that student became a sensei and had a student of his or her own, that new student would become part of said bond and the cycle would repeat itself. _

_That way, individuals such as the Shodaime Hokage and the Nidaime Hokage were connected with Shujinko through the link of mentorship. Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had taught Sarutobi Hiruzen, who went on to teach Jiraiya, who went on to teach Namikaze Minato, who went on to teach Hatake Kakashi, who was now currently teaching Ozuma Shujinko. In a world where ninjas were taught to lie, deceit, and manipulate people when they had to or whenever it suited them, such a bond was one of the few things that remained truthful and genuine._

_Which was why the Copy Ninja couldn't bring himself to deny his student's request and stretched his back before adopting a fighting stance of his own. "Very well, then. Let's try this one more time,"_

_|End of flashback|_

'… Yup, I think I did a decent job at training him,' Kakashi told himself. Despite his aloofness and his general lack of interest in many things, he had to admit that supervising Shujinko's training all these years had been a rewarding experience, if only a little.

Taking care of the golden-eyed boy's training had been, first and foremost, a task assigned to him by the Hokage, a pseudo-mission of sorts, and so Kakashi would've done it even if he wouldn't have wanted to. However, as he watched Shujinko succeed in his endeavors, it made him feel happy to know that he had had a hand in it, for he was not just helping a comrade to improve, he was helping his student forge his own path and reach his own goals. And like the seeds of a bonsai tree that had been carefully looked after, the Ozuma grew strong, and Kakashi was sure he would continue to do so over time.

A couple of hours had passed since the beginning of the challenge and the sunlight was starting to fade away. This suited Kakashi nicely, as it was his turn to make a move.

* * *

Aaaaaaand that was chapter 2. Hope you all liked it.

Sorry for the late update. I struggled with this chapter quite a bit. I originally wanted the bell test to start and end in one chapter, but I think I've kept you guys waiting long enough. Plus, I have to focus on my studies right now, so I might have to take a break for the time being.

Also, do you guys like how Shujinko has incorporated the Shunshin no Jutsu into his fighting style? In my opinion, it's a jutsu that should've been far more used in the series, and the mechanics behind the jutsu were never that heavily explained, so I had to do a little bit of research. Basically, Shujinko uses the Shunshin no Jutsu a lot better than most ninjas do, but definitely not to the point where he's like Shisui, whose skills with the technique were legendary. If you want a more graphic example, the best I can come up with is how Sasuke tried to cut Tobi in half using the Shunshin no Jutsu seconds before his fight against Deidara started. I'll make sure to add more details as the story progresses.

I know there weren't enough fighting scenes here, but I'm afraid that's all I can give you for the moment. I promise I'll do my best to upload the next chapter as quickly as I can, with more fight scenes and more strategies. This chapter served as an introduction to Team 7's abilities after three years, so the next upload will have fewer explanations and more action.

One more thing: FanFiction doesn't allow me to reply to the reviews posted by "guests", which I assume are the readers who aren't following this story or haven't favorited it yet. If you're a guest and want me to reply to something, send a PM or drop a review after following this story. I'll be happy to talk to you guys.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 3 (part 2)

**CHAPTER 3: THE BELL TEST (PART 2)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)

"Talking / Jutsu"

'Thinking'

'_Flashback'_

"_Flashback talk"_

"**Demonic voice"**

_Letter / Emphasis_

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were following Shujinko through the forest as they searched for their sensei. Their sprint came to a halt, however, when Shujinko stopped running and raised a closed fist to his teammates, indicating them to do the same.

"What's happening? Why did we stop?" Naruto asked from behind, only to feel a tingling sensation inside his head seconds later. 'Wait a minute, this feels like…'

"… Naruto… Sakura… Shujinko… Please, help me…"

The three teenagers recognized that voice immediately, despite not having heard it for the last three years. Their muscles tensed when a shadowy figure came from behind a tree.

The shadowy figure was none other than Sasuke.

For a brief moment, Sakura held her breath and Naruto's eyes widened. The missing member of their team was standing in front of them with his head hanging low, coughing out blood and groaning intensely. His body was littered in scars, cuts, and open wounds that threatened to end his life in a matter of minutes. There were even a couple of kunais and shurikens embedded into him, as if he had just returned from a ferocious battle. Despite being three years since they last saw him, Sasuke looked exactly the same as before and didn't seem to have grown older since the day he joined Orochimaru.

"… Please, help me…" Sasuke repeated. "I… I managed to escape… from Orochimaru… He's coming after me… Please…"

Shujinko frowned. Kakashi had to be close to their position. He had recognized his sensei's Genjutsu almost as soon as it had been cast, having been inside of them in plenty of occasions during his training with the Copy Ninja. Kakashi was either trying to distract them or putting their mental fortitude to the test by showing them an illusion of Sasuke, maybe both of those things at the same time. Nevertheless, it was clear that Kakashi wasn't just testing their ability to notice and dispel Genjutsu, because if that were to be the case, Shujinko knew for a fact his sensei was capable of casting illusionary techniques of higher level.

He could easily make a hand sign and dispel the cheap Genjutsu, but instead, Shujinko took a step back and placed himself between Naruto and Sakura. The Ozuma wanted to see his teammates' reaction, as those two were more… emotional than him when it came to Sasuke. He just hoped an illusion wouldn't be enough to make them lose control, because if that happened, Shujinko feared how they would react once they saw the real Sasuke.

To his relief, Naruto and Sakura kept their emotions in check. "Nice try Kakashi-sensei, but we're not interested in illusions. Kai," Sakura said, raising two fingers and putting an end to the Genjutsu for the three of them. The Sasuke in front of them vanished into thin air, leaving no traces behind. "It's a shame. I would give everything to speak to the real Sasuke-kun, even if only for just a minute,"

"Come out wherever you are, Kakashi-sensei! We're not gonna fall for your tricks!" Naruto exclaimed.

As soon as he was done talking, a kunai was thrown at Naruto from the side. The blonde knucklehead ducked down, allowing the weapon to get embedded into the ground. However, the kunai released a cloud of smoke only seconds after, and Kakashi appeared behind Naruto's back. By the time Naruto had turned around, Kakashi had already delivered a strong kick to his stomach, sending him back against a tree.

Without thinking twice about it, Shujinko weaved the Rat, Rabbit, and Dog hand signs before taking a deep breath, focusing his chakra in his stomach. "Fuuton: Shinkuudama!" Shujinko aimed at his sensei and spat out a compressed sphere of wind.

In response, Kakashi weaved a couple of hand signs of his own and placed his hands on the ground. "Doton: Doryuuheki!" he exclaimed as a solid wall of earth rose from the ground in front of him. Shujinko's wind sphere crashed against the wall, which was left standing despite suffering several fissures all over its surface. However, the already weakened barrier was blown to pieces when Sakura drove her fist into it, intending to reach the Jounin behind.

Kakashi predicted Sakura's attack and moved out of the way before anything could happen to him. Sakura then proceeded to unleash a barrage of punches and hooks aimed at the silver-haired Jounin, but all of them struck nothing but empty air as Kakashi evaded them one after the other. 'It's no use. Sakura may have amazing strength, but it won't do us any good if she can't touch Kakashi-sensei,' Shujinko thought as he took cover behind a bush. 'If we want to land a clean blow on Kakashi-sensei, we'll have to immobilize him first,'

Shortly after, Tsunade's student attempted a kick, but the Sharingan Warrior grabbed her ankle and threw her away like a ragdoll. Shujinko immediately came out of the bushes and began to fight Kakashi using a pair of kunais. However, Kakashi quickly got behind his back and applied a rear chokehold, forcing him to drop his weapons. "You ought to know by now never to allow your opponent to get behind your back so easily. Have you forgotten our lessons?" Kakashi asked, tightening his grip around his student's neck.

"… The only one… who's forgetting lessons here… is you, sensei…" Shujinko said, his voice raspy. His body was losing strength every passing second as he tried to get Kakashi to unhand him… But just when he was beginning to lose consciousness, the brown-haired youth suddenly pulled his arms back and grabbed his own hands behind Kakashi, restraining the Jounin in return.

"Huh?" Before Kakashi had time to understand what his student was trying to accomplish, another Shujinko jumped out of the bushes and threw four shurikens, each of them attached to ninja wire. The Ozuma waved his arms, controlling the trajectory of the shurikens until Kakashi and the teen he was restraining were both tied up by the wires. 'It's a trap! I'm holding a shadow clone!'

"Now, Naruto! Attack him and my shadow clone!" Shujinko shouted.

"Haaaaaah!" A total of five Narutos approached Kakashi at great speed, each of them holding a Rasengan. One Naruto was coming from the front, another one from behind, one from each side and the last one from above, making it impossible for Kakashi to escape without getting hit. "Let's see how you dodge this! Rasen Tarengan!"

BBBBZZZZZZZZZ

Before Naruto and his shadow clones could thrust their palms, Kakashi suddenly burst into lightning, electrocuting those around him. The shadow clones were reduced to smoke while the original Naruto let out a loud yelp as the discharge of electricity punished his body, sending him rolling across the ground. The lightning left a black spot where Kakashi's clone was standing before evaporating into nothingness.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Shujinko asked as he and Sakura helped their teammate. Naruto gritted his teeth and responded with a grunt, opening one eye and keeping the other one closed. Despite not suffering any external wounds, his body felt wobbly and his skin was aching after being electrocuted.

"What the heck was that?" the blonde asked. Sakura sat on her knees and started applying Medical Ninjutsu on Naruto in order to relieve some of his pain.

"Another one of Kakashi-sensei's techniques, the Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," the Ozuma replied, his brow furrowing. "It looks like Kakashi-sensei wants to step things up a notch. A couple of hours have passed since the beginning of this test and he has seen some of our abilities, so now he wants to repay the favor. We might have to go into defensive mode from here on out,"

Sakura frowned at Shujinko. "Defensive mode? But Shujinko, that wasn't part of our plan. We're supposed to wear him down, not to let him wear us down. I say we should stick to our strategy," she said as her hands emitted a green glow of healing energy. While Medical Ninjutsu usually required a user's full attention, Sakura was so proficient at it that she was able to heal the minor wounds of a patient and still hold a conversation at the same time. Once some of his pain had been soothed, Naruto sat on the ground and gave Shujinko an incredulous stare.

"Yeah, one minute you're telling us to go after Kakashi-sensei, and now you want him to make the first move against us? How are we supposed to complete this exercise if we keep switching strategies?"

"You just answered your own question, Naruto," Shujinko replied, hoping that his teammate would understand where he was trying to go with this. When the Kyuubi Jinchuriki raised his eyebrow, Shujinko let out a sigh of slight exasperation. "Look, Kakashi-sensei is a smart guy, smarter than any of us for that matter. By now, he must've figured out what we've been up to, and he's going to use that to his advantage. If we keep this up, he'll play us like a fiddle and our efforts will go to waste, but if we change our tactics and use a different approach, we might manage to throw him off,"

Naruto and Sakura shared a glance. While their teammate's reasoning was not without logic or sense, they weren't completely sure whether it was the best option or not. The idea of defending themselves against Kakashi was less appealing than the idea of attacking him, for they were aware of the Sharingan Warrior's nearly unlimited bag of tricks. On the other hand, going head-to-head against their real sensei was probably more beneficial to their objective than chasing after shadow clones and getting fooled over and over again.

"… I guess you have a point," Sakura conceded after a minute of silence. "After all, you know Kakashi-sensei better than either of us, and that includes which tactics he likes to use. Still, if we're gonna allow him to attack us, we should be ready for everything. There's no way of telling what he has in store for us,"

At that moment, Naruto stood up and removed the dust from his pants. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure if this is a good idea, but if you guys think it'll work, then I'm all for it… So, how are we supposed to go about this?"

"I don't usually say this, but maybe we shoud go out there and improvise. Kakashi-sensei won't be able to guess what our strategy is if we don't have one in the first place. And besides, you're Konoha's Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja, aren't you, Naruto? When it comes to unpredictability, you can outclass anyone, even Kakashi-sensei," Shujinko said, offering his blonde teammate a thumbs-up with a smirk. "So, are we ready to do this or not?"

The grin on Naruto's face was all the answer Shujinko needed.

* * *

SWOOOSH

Kakashi landed on the ground, taking the opportunity to catch his breath after running for many miles. His back was facing a small lake, the very same lake where Shujinko had learned how to walk on water when he was preparing for the Chunin Exams years ago. 'This challenge is getting more and more complicated. Those three sure haven't forgotten about teamwork, yet they all possess individual strength. I have to stay on my toes at every moment and be ready to escape at all times,' Kakashi told himself. Several hours had passed since the beginning of the bell test. The sun had already gone down, having been replaced by a majestic moon floating still amidst a cloudless sky.

The wind blew, carrying with it the scent of wet grass that filled Kakashi's nostrils. On a peaceful night such as this, Kakashi would normally find himself walking aimlessly through the streets of Konoha with his nose stuck in his little book, minding his own business just like the rest of the world. Every now and then he would buy two identical bouquets of flowers, leave one of them on Rin's grave and take the other one over to the Memorial Stone, where Obito's name was engraved.

For a fraction of a second, Kakashi allowed himself to reminisce about the past, comparing the members of Team Minato with his own current squad. It was impossible to ignore the resemblance between Obito and Naruto, for example. They shared the same obstinacy, the same loud and outspoken attitude, and the same goal of becoming Hokage. Hell, they were also matched in terms of goofiness and rambunctiousness, but they also had a heart of gold that few people possessed. They were the kind of people that, even if they were prone to making mistakes or acting silly, would gladly break their backs if it meant protecting those around them.

Sakura and Rin had something in common other than their skills in Medical Ninjutsu. They were the link that kept the group together, the bridge between the members of the squad. They were the first to recognize when something was wrong and the first to try to patch things up, at least in their own way. Rin used to gently talk Obito out of doing something foolish while Sakura simply smacked Naruto in the head before telling him to stop being an idiot. One way or another, the two of them cared for each and every single member of their group and nothing would stop them from looking out for those they cared about.

As for Sasuke, Kakashi had seen a shadow of his younger self in him. The same way Itachi had been branded a traitor for the slaughter he brought upon his very own flesh and blood, Sakumo had been branded a traitor as well when he chose the lives of his comrades over the success of a very important mission. Their names became synonyms of disgrace and betrayal. The son of the White Fang then went on to live a life full of regrets and guilt after causing Obito's death, killing Rin with his own hands, and being unable to do anything to prevent the deaths of Minato and Kushina. That was why Kakashi could identify himself with Sasuke and why he had tried to make his student see a different path, because he knew perfectly well what happened to those who harbored nothing but darkness in their heart.

The only comparison left was between Minato and Shujinko, and funnily enough, Kakashi could see certain similarities between those two. Analytical, pragmatic, versatile, all those words could be used to describe his sensei and his student when they were in the battlefield. However, it was outside of the battlefield where the resemblance between those two truly flourished. Shujinko's calm, down to earth attitude was not unlike that of Kakashi's long-deceased sensei. Just like how Minato used to encourage a young Kakashi to open himself up more (a task that had been anything but easy), Shujinko had done the very same thing during the three years they had spent together. By simply talking to him and asking him about his life, Shujinko made it clear to Kakashi that he viewed him not only as his master, but also as a person he truly trusted and cared for.

Kakashi let out a melancholic sigh. Team 7 was startlingly similar to his old squad, possibly more than Kakashi would've wanted. He just hoped things would turn out better this time. Sasuke abandoning the village had been a tough blow for everyone, but Shujinko, Naruto, and Sakura could still have a bright path ahead of them, and the Copy Ninja would do everything in his power to ensure that happened.

ZIIP

ZIIP

ZIIP

'Looks like the time for reminiscing is over,' Kakashi thought upon seeing his students landing several feet in front of him. He glared all three of them with his Sharingan, ready to anticipate and counter their movements with stone-cold precision. "I'm impressed by how you guys have handled this challenge so far. Let's step it up a notch, shall we?"

"Here I go!" Sakura shouted with determination before jumping forward, gathering chakra in her fist. As soon as she landed, Sakura struck the ground with all of her might, sending a devastating shockwave of destruction towards her sensei. The earth began to split apart as the shockwave advanced, ripping the surface of the ground to shreds and leaving the area widely fissured.

The Copy Ninja wasted no time and weaved a couple of hand signs right away. "Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu!" he shouted, slamming his palms onto the ground. The terrain suddenly became loose and flabby, and similar to a ripple in the water, Kakashi created a ring of wavy earth that expanded itself until colliding against Sakura's traveling shockwave. The impact of the two opposing forces left huge chunks of earth and rock scattered all over the place, deforming the battlefield yet again.

An enormous cloud of dust was raised due to the collision, making it nearly impossible for everyone to see what was in front of them. Shujinko took advantage of this and quickly weaved a couple of hand signs. "Fuuton: Reppushoo!" he shouted, sending a powerful gale of wind from his palms. The gale of wind pushed the dust cloud towards Kakashi, as Shujinko wanted to blind his sensei before attacking him, but once the dust settled down, the Copy Ninja was nowhere to be seen. "What the-"

CRACK

Suddenly, a hole was made on the ground and Kakashi appeared from beneath the surface, already finishing the last hand sign his next jutsu required. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

'Crap!' Shujinko thought alarmed. Both him and Sakura began to dodge, jump, and dive for their lives as the Sharingan Warrior spat a volley of small fireballs at them. Naruto, who was the furthest away from Kakashi, had managed to jump over the incoming projectiles before they could reach him. With much difficulty, Shujinko opened one of the pockets in his flak jacket and took out a thin scroll. As he moved from one place to another, he opened the scroll before tossing it to his blonde teammate while he was still in midair. "Naruto, catch!"

POOF

The scroll released a small cloud of smoke as a fuuma shuriken appeared out of it, one that Naruto grabbed firmly with his right hand. "Haaaaah!" As he began his descent back to the ground, Naruto threw the weapon at Kakashi, who was still spitting mouthfuls of fire. Upon seeing the incoming fuuma shuriken, and not wanting to get sliced in half, the Cyclops Jounin performed a backwards summersault, jumping over the weapon and landing on the lake that used to be behind his back. Shujinko and Sakura were slightly out of breath as they stared at their sensei, wondering what his next move was going to be.

They didn't have to wait long for their answer. Kakashi began to weave multiple hand signs at an incredible speed, to the point where his hands became an indecipherable blur. While Naruto and Sakura were astonished by the speed of Kakashi's hand signs, Shujinko instead grew alarmed. He didn't need to recognize every single one of Kakashi's hand signs to predict which technique he was about to perform. Judging by the number of hand signs and the fact that his sensei was standing on water, the Ozuma had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen, which was why he immediately went to grab his teammates.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

The water around Kakashi began to shift until a massive torrent shaped like a dragon rose from the surface. The Sannin students were so awestruck by the sheer size of the jutsu that, for a brief moment, they forgot to react. Thankfully, by the time the Sharingan Warrior had sent the water dragon after them, Shujinko had already wrapped his arms around the waists of Naruto and Sakura. He pumped a considerable amount of chakra to his feet and made use of the Shunshin no Jutsu, gritting his teeth as the weight of his teammates slowed him down. Kakashi's jutsu then proceeded to stomp and sweep everything in its path, flooding the battlefield.

"Kakashi-san sure has no intention of pulling his punches," Shizune commented as she and Tsunade watched the challenge unfold from a safe distance. "I don't even want to think how long it'll take us to repair this training ground,"

"By the time they're done, there might be no training ground left to repair," Tsunade replied, her gaze focused on the Sharingan Warrior. "I asked Kakashi to conduct this test with the intention of making things as realistically as possible for them. With the Akatsuki lurking about, we need to be certain of how much those three have learned so far. I have a feeling we'll be running into problems sooner rather than later,"

Jiraiya remained silent, keeping his thoughts to himself. Even with the limited information he had gathered on Akatsuki, he was more than aware of how dangerous said organization could be when the likes of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki had joined its ranks. He had trained Naruto with the intention of preparing him for the future, keeping in mind that the boy would eventually run into them again, searching for the Kyuubi and its colossal power.

He had faith that Naruto would pass this test. Not only because the blonde knucklehead was his student, but also because that knucklehead had something special: The guts to keep forging on in the face of adversity. The shinobi who had those guts possessed something more valuable and more unique than any technique or bloodline limit known to man. It was the kind of power that people such as Orochimaru would never understand, much less acquire.

* * *

|Sunagakure no Sato|

"Infiltration successful, hmpf," Deidara said to himself, standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in Sunagakure.

Getting into the village had been fairly easy. The guards posted on the wall weren't expecting an attack from the skies, and so they had been quickly taken care off thanks to his miniature clay bombs. After that, he hopped on one of his clay birds and landed close to the Kazekage Tower, where he suspected his target was. Everything was running smoothly so far, almost too smoothly.

His orders were clear. He and Sasori were to use any means necessary to capture the Ichibi Jinchuriki without killing it and then return to the designated Akatsuki hideout that was located in Kawa no Kuni, where the Bijuu extraction process would take place. Deidara, being the passionate artist that he was, asked his partner Sasori to stand back and let him deal with the Jinchuriki. After all, the journey to Sunagakure had been a long and boring one, and now that they had arrived to their destination, Deidara thought he at least deserved to have some fun and allow the people of the village to witness the magnificent beauty of his art.

"Now where can I find you, Jinchuriki?"

"Look no further," a voice behind his back answered. The member of the Akatsuki turned around to see a young man with red hair and the kanji for 'Love' carved on the left side of his forehead. He was staring at him with his arms crossed and had a detached look on his face, as if he'd been waiting for him to show up. "You belong to Akatsuki, don't you? This is as far as you go,"

Deidara smirked. Yup, this was his target alright. His physical appearance perfectly matched the description Akatsuki had given him. It looked like he wouldn't have to worry about keeping Sasori waiting. "So, you're Sunagakure's Kazekage, the Jinchuriki they call Gaara. Would you mind telling me what gave my presence way?" he asked, noticing how sand was slowly coming out of the gourd strapped to Gaara's back.

"That bird of yours is a rare sight in Kaze no Kuni. There are no such species here,"

"Heh, you're a smart kid," Deidara taunted him as he reached for some clay. He was surprised to see how young the leader of the village was, as he looked no older than seventeen. Still, he knew better than to judge an enemy by his age, and this individual had the Ichibi sealed inside of him, which by all means made him a threat. "You know, this is a really nice place you have here. It'll be interesting to see how much of it will be left standing by the time I capture you,"

* * *

|Konohagakure no Sato, Training grounds|

"I have to admit, this challenge is even harder than I thought it would be, and I already knew it was going to be tough," Shujinko complained loudly, echoing the thoughts of his two teammates. With his back leaning against a tree, Shujinko opened a canteen and took a large swig of water before passing it to Sakura, who gladly accepted it.

The Genin, the Chunin, and the Jounin were hiding in the woods after being forced to retreat. A small demonstration of Kakashi's Ninjutsu arsenal had been enough had nearly overwhelmed them, and it was scary to think how many other tricks the Copy Ninja still had up his sleeve. Not even Shujinko, who had spent more time learning from Kakashi than Naruto and Sakura put together, could tell for sure how big the power gap between him and his sensei was. It was already past midnight and they hadn't made any significant progress. They were running out of options and they knew it.

"Well, it's not like we should be surprised," Sakura replied. "Kakashi-sensei is giving us a lesson in shinobi battle tactics. As long as we are within his field of vision, he'll anticipate all of our moves, and we don't have the means to attack him from a distance. That Sharingan of his sees right through us,"

"But we have to do something about it!" Naruto exclaimed, frowning in annoyance. He was fed up with having to chase after Kakashi over and over again as if they were playing some stupid game of cat and mouse. To make things worse, he was aware that Tsunade and Jiraiya were watching this test, and he felt he was making himself look unprepared and stupid in front of them. "We've worked so hard to get to where we are. I don't care if Kakashi-sensei has an all-powerful eye or whatever, we'll get those bells no matter what," he said, only to hear a short snort coming from his male teammate, to which Naruto frowned at him. "What, did I say something funny?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto. It's just what you said about Kakashi-sensei having an all-powerful eye. The Sharingan is certainly an impressive thing that grants Kakashi-sensei abilities most ninjas could only wish for, but it doesn't make him invincible. That eye is still a human eye in more ways than one,"

"… I don't think I'm following you,"

Shujinko rubbed his chin, thinking of how to elaborate his point. "Let me put it this way. If you stare at the sun, your eyes will become sore. If smoke gets in your eyes, they'll become irritated and you won't be able to see with clarity. The same thing applies to a Sharingan user. In other words, if we can somehow attack or neutralize Kakashi-sensei's sense of sight, his Sharingan will be rendered useless. But as we already know, it's extremely hard to execute such a strategy when our enemy can predict our movements with a single glance,"

But while his sensei's Sharingan was undoubtedly an important factor of the challenge, Shujinko feared their main problem was how to get the bells from him. Had they been challenged to actually fight Kakashi and defeat him in 24 hours or less, while still a difficult and arduous task, it would've at least been a less complicated one. However, getting the bells from Kakashi implicated finding the Jounin, evading a wave of jutsus, getting sufficiently close to him before he could escape and taking the small bells away from him, and all of that while Kakashi was using his Sharingan. It was exasperatingly troublesome, even by the standards of any accomplished ninja.

Rubbing his temple, the golden-eyed teenager tried his hardest to remember every single lesson Kakashi had ever taught him, asking himself how he could apply them against his mentor. There were so many empty choices, so many uncertain alternatives to choose from. Similar thoughts were running through Sakura's mind, who despite her undeniable progress as a kunoichi, had no idea how to proceed after testing one strategy after the other.

"… Wait… Wait, I think I got it!" Naruto piped up. "I think I found out Kakashi-sensei's weak spot!"

Both Shujinko and Sakura stared at him in shock. "What did you just say?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"Don't you get it? We have a golden opportunity to take those bells! I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out, we could've ended this challenge hours ago!"

"Alright Naruto, if this golden opportunity is so obvious, how come none of us thought about it earlier? What's Kakashi-sensei's weak spot, anyway?" Shujinko demanded to know. He had the feeling Naruto had just come up with a ridiculous maneuver that would only make sense to him and him only. After all, if someone was to discover Kakashi's weakness, shouldn't it be him, Shujinko, the one who had spent the last three years training with the Copy Ninja?

A devilish grin grew on Naruto's face. "It's just like you said, Shujinko. Our enemy can predict our movements with a single glance, right?" he asked, to which Shujinko nodded. "In that case, we might not be able to trick the Sharingan, but we can trick Kakashi-sensei by using his Sharingan to our advantage. He won't know what to do, believe it!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you telling us that Kakashi-sensei's weak spot is his Sharingan?" Sakura furrowed her brow, trying to make heads or tails of Naruto's nonsensical suggestion. "Naruto, that's just ridiculous. Kakashi-sensei has been using his Sharingan for years. It's part of the reason why ninjas from other nations know and fear his name. How are we supposed to use his own Sharingan against him when we can't even fight against it ourselves?"

"You got it all wrong, Sakura-chan. I never said Kakashi-sensei's weak spot was his Sharingan, I just said we can use it to our advantage. There's a big difference. Come on you guys, you seriously haven't realized it yet?"

"Naruto, this is no time to be joking around. Just tell us what it is already," Shujinko spoke up, slightly raising his voice as he was starting to get impatient. The way his teammate acted, it was as if the challenge they were in had been little more than a kids' game from the beginning, which was irritating to think about when considering how much time and energy they had spent so far.

Grinning, Naruto took a seat and gestured them to come closer. "It's really simple. All we gotta' do is find Kakashi-sensei. Once we do that, we…"

…

|A few minutes later|

"… Of course! I get it now! It's so simple and obvious, yet brilliant at the same time!" Sakura said, smiling excitedly. "If we do this right, Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan will backfire on him and we won't have to worry about his hand signs. Naruto, you're a genius!" she told him. The Kyuubi Jinchuriki scratched the back of his head, blushing at the praise he was receiving from Sakura.

"So this is the weak spot you were talking about, huh?" the golden-eyed teen asked with a smirk on his face. "This is the stupidest plan I've ever heard. In fact, it's so stupid it might just work. I say it's worth a shot. It's not like we have a whole lot to lose,"

Naruto quickly got up and dusted his hands off. "It's settled, then. Let's go find Kakashi-sensei. We're all clear on what we have to do, right?"

"Naruto, wait," Shujinko said as he got to his feet. After hearing Naruto's idea, Shujinko had to admit it was a truly ingenious strategy, but he knew how to make it even better. "We only have one chance to pull this stunt off. If Kakashi-sensei sees through our ruse, everything will go to waste and we'll be back to square one, which is why we should modify our plan a little,"

"Modify our plan?" Sakura repeated. "I'm not sure, Shujinko. I feel like this plan can work on its own. Do we really need to change it?"

"Just hear me out, okay? Naruto, Sakura, you two go ahead and stick to what you're supposed to do. I, on the other hand, will…"

…

* * *

'Dear Kami, those three are giving my Sharingan quite a workout,' Kakashi thought as he sat on the grass, leaning his back against a tree.

It was already past midnight and the silver-haired Jounin was already feeling the consequences of spending too much chakra. Despite using the last few years to increase his chakra reserves in order to master his Mangekyo Sharingan and learn how to utilize Kamui effectively, being forced to use high-level Ninjutsu in rapid succession against his students was a quick way to drain his own energy and stamina. If he wasn't more careful, he might end up losing his bells, thus losing the challenge as a result.

'Still, I should be able to hold them off until sunrise. I have plenty of weaponry left to use… As well as Icha Icha Tactics to help me get through the night…' Kakashi thought, absentmindedly reaching for his little book until he forced himself to stop. 'No, I can't give in to temptation. This isn't like the old days when I could fight them and read at the same time… But I'm itching to know what happens next. It's obvious that Iture is about to reveal a dark secret from his past. And what about Muruki? Did Iture truly leave her? How will her father react once he finds out about her daughter's forbidden love? Man, the suspense is killing me!'

Kakashi then heard a sound and raised a kunai out of instinct. His sharp eyes quickly scanned his surroundings until he found the source of the sound. There was an owl standing on a tree branch, casually fluttering its wings before taking off. Kakashi let out a silent sigh and reprimanded himself for getting so distracted, all thanks to the novel inside his back pouch. Knowing that he couldn't afford to make any silly mistakes, Kakashi mustered all of his willpower and swore to himself he wouldn't open that book until the challenge was over, no matter how much he wanted to start the next chapter.

'I won't waste my time pursuing them. Instead, I'll wait here and let them make the first move… Wait, is that…' Kakashi began to sniff the air in a very ninken-like fashion as his nose detected the scent of his students. Despite not being on par with those of the Inuzuka clan, Kakashi's developed sense of smell was nothing to scoff at, and it sure proved itself to be handy during situations such as this one. 'They're coming straight at me. I better be prepared for anything,'

…

SWOOOSH

Not long after Kakashi anticipated their arrival, he saw Naruto, Sakura, and Shujinko making their way towards him, jumping on tree branches while maintaining a horizontal formation. "We found you, Kakashi-sensei! Get ready to hand over those bells!" he heard Sakura shout.

"A frontal attack, huh?" Kakashi said as he stood up, adopting a fighting stance and focusing his Sharingan on all three of his students. "Don't you think you're getting a little too cocky?"

"Listen to this, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed loudly as they got closer, to which the Copy Ninja raised an eyebrow. "I already read Icha Icha Tactics and I know the final plot twist of the story!"

Kakashi's eyes went wide in utter shock and panic. "W-What?! You know Icha Icha Tactics' final plot twist?!"

"Damn right I do! And as it turns out, the main protagonist of the story ends up getting together with-!"

"No! Shut up! I don't wanna' hear it!" Kakashi vociferated in desperation, pressing his hands against his ears as hard as he could. However, he accidentally gazed at Naruto's face and his Sharingan instantly picked up what Naruto was saying by reading his lips. _"… Then she gets pregnant with the child of none other than-" _

Kakashi immediately closed his left eye, and as soon as he did that, he saw with his right eye that both Naruto and Sakura were shouting at someone other than himself. By the time Kakashi turned his head to the left, another Shujinko was barely three meters away from him after making use of the Shunshin no Jutsu, and he saw his student sticking his hand out to grab the bells as he approached him.

It had been a distraction all along.

…

RING RING

…

… Kakashi opened his eyes. He was sitting with his hands and legs on the ground after having jumped away from Shujinko, who was standing with his back turned to him. Naruto and Sakura were also there, next to a copy of Shujinko that soon became a cloud of smoke. 'A shadow clone?' the Jounin thought as he did his best to understand what had just happened. When he saw Shujinko coming at him from his blind spot, Kakashi had moved out of the way as fast as he could, having only a few seconds to react.

Once he remembered what he was doing, the Copy Ninja immediately reached for his hip, only to sigh in relief when his fingertips touched the bells. By some miracle, Shujinko had missed his chance to snatch them away from him despite coming incredibly close. Kakashi thanked his good luck, thinking how embarrassing it would've been for him had his students' strategy succeeded.

"So you attempted a distraction by spoiling the ending of Icha Icha Tactics for me, huh? I admit it was a nice trick, but you still haven't taken the bells from me. The challenge is not over yet," Kakashi said as he stood up. Naruto and Sakura simply stared at him, smirking mischievously like a pair of kids after getting away with a prank. They weren't even trying bothering to adopt a fighting stance, leaving the silver-haired Jounin confused and at a loss.

"Is that so, Kakashi-sensei? Because I have a feeling this challenge has just come to an end," Shujinko replied, slowly turning around to see his sensei. Once the two of them were face to face with one another, Kakashi saw his student holding a small book with a forest-green cover between his thumb and his index finger, and Kakashi's heart stood still. "Look what I found. Isn't this yours, sensei?"

The Sharingan Warrior gasped. He raised his right arm and looked down at the back of his waist, only to find out his back pouch was gone. "M-My book! You stole my book!"

"Stole your book? I don't know what you're talking about. I simply borrowed it without your permission. It's not my fault you're not careful enough with your belongings, Kakashi-sensei,"

Even with his mask on, Shujinko could still see the scandalized look on Kakashi's face. This had been his addition to Naruto's plan. He told Naruto to create a shadow clone and then have said shadow clone perform the Henge no Jutsu so that it would look like all three of them were coming at Kakashi together. Then, as Naruto distracted Kakashi by revealing the ending plot twist of Icha Icha Tactics, his ultimate weakness, Shujinko made use of the Shunshin no Jutsu in order to approach his sensei from a blind spot.

Once he was close enough, Shujinko tried to grab the bells. However, he also tried to grab Kakashi's back pouch at the same time, as it was a bigger target where the Jounin kept his weakness. This was as good as snatching the bells from him, because the next step of his plan was going to be a piece of cake. "You know, I bet this book must be pretty hard to find. In fact, it must be the only copy available. Naruto, didn't Jiraiya-sama said something about Icha Icha Tactics not having been released to the public yet?"

Naruto grinned. "Yup, that's what Ero-sennin said. It's gonna' take months for Icha Icha Tactics to hit the bookstores, believe it,"

"Well isn't that interesting. In that case, I better be careful with this thing. We wouldn't want anything to happen to it, am I right?"

Then, after building up some tension for a couple of seconds, Shujinko raised his free hand and performed the Kazekiri. All of a sudden, a silver layer of energy shaped like a wind blade was formed, starting from half of Shujinko's forearm and extending itself past his fingertips. The technique released a sound similar to that of swords constantly slashing through air. It took Shujinko three full years to completely learn the Kazekiri, and now, his mastery over it had gotten to the point where he could perform the technique using no hand signs and without cutting himself.

"No! That's my book!" Kakashi shouted. "Give it back to me, you… you thief!"

"You want it back? Hand over those bells first, then you can have the book. If you refuse, I'll rip it to shreds right in front of your eyes. It's your choice, sensei,"

"… You wouldn't… You wouldn't dare to…"

"Is that what you think? Very well then, you asked for it,"

Shujinko then proceeded to slowly move his Kazekiri towards the book, whose pages started flipping uncontrollably. He toned down the potency of his jutsu so that he wouldn't destroy the novel unless he pierced through it. Despite acting otherwise, Shujinko really didn't want to turn his sensei's precious book into confetti. He respected the man far too much to ever do such a thing, but this was the only way to put pressure on him.

Just when the Ozuma was starting to get nervous, Kakashi finally broke down. "Alright, fine! Stop it! STOP IT! The bells are yours!"

With a swift move of his wrist, the Kazekiri faded away, and Shujinko stuck his hand out. After a long, defeated sigh, Kakashi grabbed the bells and threw them to his students, one for each. Naruto immediately began to cheer loudly while Sakura had this triumphant look on her face. As for Shujinko, he threw the book at Kakashi, who caught it with both hands and began to cuddle it against his chest, like a father holding his dear child. The challenge had officially ended.

'Who would've ever thought the legendary Hatake Kakashi would lose to his young students due to his intense taste for erotic novels?' Shujinko wondered as he jingled his bell. He didn't know whether this counted as a victory over his sensei, or if he even wanted this to count as a victory. However, there was one thing he was certain of…

… Team 7 was back, and it felt so damn good.

* * *

Aaaaaand that was chapter 3. Hope you all liked it.

Boy, it sure as hell took me a while to upload this. In my defense, I changed almost everything from the original fight in order to give you guys something fresh and more unique. Those of you who have seen my work before know I don't like to include Shujinko in a fight just for the fight to remain the same as it was in the anime/manga.

Did you like how the fight scenes turned out? I think I did a decent job of keeping everything and everyone consistent. It's true that, by the end of this chapter, Kakashi loses the challenge just like he did in the original series, but at least the way he lost the bells was somewhat different, right? If you have anything positive or negative to say, please post a review or send me a PM, and I'll do my best to respond.

If I'm being honest, these last two chapters haven't been as 'Shujinko-centered' as I normally like my chapters to be. After all, this might be a Naruto fanfiction, but Shujinko IS the main character here (Fun fact: I originally took the name 'Shujinko' from the main character of Mortal Kombat: Deception. It wasn't until later that I found out Shujinko literally means 'Protagonist, Main character, Hero', but I guess it's still fitting since Shujinko Ozuma is the main character of his story, lol). Now that the bell test is finally over, I can continue to write the next chapters from mostly Shujinko's perspective, which is what I usually like doing.

Also, I want all of you, both the old readers and the new, to take good care of yourself. The spread of Coronavirus has certainly sent the world whirling into a frenzy as of recently. I believe we'll pull through if we row together and make an effort as a community. Take measures to protect your own health and the health of your loved ones, but don't forget about your neighbors who are in the same boat as you. Stay strong, people!

Glossary:

Fuuton: Shinkuudama – Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets

Doton: Doryuuheki – Earth Style: Mud Wall

Rasen Tarengan – Rasengan Barrage

Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Lightning Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu

Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu – Earth Style: Mud Wave Jutsu

Fuuton: Reppushoo – Wind Style: Gale Palm

Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu – Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu

Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu – Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu

Shunshin no Jutsu: Teleportation Jutsu

Kazekiri – Wind Blade

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Ja ne!


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: SUNAGAKURE'S PLEA**

* * *

(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)

"Talking / Jutsu"

'Thinking'

'_Flashback'_

"_Flashback talk"_

"**Demonic voice"**

_Letter / Emphasis_

* * *

"Ha! We did it! We won!" an ecstatic Naruto shouted, pumping his fist in the air and grinning widely. "I knew we could do it, believe it! Be-freaking-live it!"

"Oh, I believe it alright," Shujinko said with a big smile on his face. The feeling of sheer satisfaction among Kakashi's students was incredible, but most importantly, it was well earned. Their combined effort had allowed them to face none other than Hatake Kakashi and come out on top in the end. It almost felt surreal, but the bell in the palm of his hand was undeniable proof of their victory. "What do you have to say, Kakashi-sensei? Not too shabby, huh?"

The silver-haired Jounin let out a depressed sigh and stared at his copy of Icha Icha Tactics. "Yes, yes, congratulations. I have to admit I wasn't expecting to go down, most certainly not like this," he replied. Kakashi then gave his three students the stink eye. "You know, using underhanded tactics is one thing, but spoiling a man the ending of his precious book and then threatening to destroy it? Even by the standards of us ninjas, that's a dirty trick to pull on someone,"

Sakura barely managed to hold her laughter as she opened her mouth to speak. "Don't be like that, Kakashi-sensei. We were never really going to reveal to you the ending of your book. It's not like we could've done so in the first place,"

"… What do you mean by that?"

"What Sakura is trying to say is that this whole thing was just a fluke," Shujinko responded. "Naruto has never read Icha Icha Tactics, so spoiling the final plot twist to you was practically impossible. All we had to do was to pretend. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki nodded. "Yup! I mean, I gave the book a chance when Ero-sennin gave it to me, but it was so boring I couldn't even make it past the tenth page. Honestly, I don't understand why people buy that kind of garbage,"

"But… But you were shouting the ending of the book as you attacked me. I even saw it with my Sharingan!" Kakashi replied.

"Oh, that? Yeah, I came up with that part like five minutes before we reached your position. I figured it was such a bad book that any kind of crappy ending would work. It looks like I was right after all, huh?"

To say that Kakashi felt ridiculed was an understatement. His students had made an utter fool out of him; they had deceived him like a Jounin would deceive a student from the Academy. If any of his colleagues caught wind of this, his fame as one of the top-notch Jounins of the village would be flushed down the toilet and he would be forever known as the ninja who was defeated by the power of erotic literature. Not even someone as unconcerned as Kakashi wanted that sort of humiliating reputation for himself.

On the bright side, the chance to enjoy the rest of Icha Icha Tactics free of spoilers remained intact, and that meant more to Kakashi than losing whatever challenge he had imposed on his students… So in the end, he decided the positive aspects of the outcome balanced out the negative, and that was good enough for him.

"You three have certainly demonstrated some growth," Tsunade said as she made her way towards them, followed by Shizune. Shujinko and Sakura immediately straightened their postures in the presence of their Hokage, unlike Naruto, who kept his hands behind the back of his head the whole time. "Kakashi, do you have any comments regarding your students' performances?"

"… Well, they did manage to get the bells one way or another, so I suppose there's not a lot of room for criticism," Kakashi replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "I'm glad to hear that. Now we can discuss what the status of Team 7 will be,"

"The status of Team 7?" Naruto repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Ozuma Shujinko, from now on, you are all active members of Team 7 once again, meaning that you will participate in various missions along with your old sensei. You'll be assigned to do whatever task that needs to be carried out, including S-rank missions should it be necessary,"

"And thus, I will no longer act as your superior," Kakashi added. "Starting from this moment, you three are my peers, not my underlings. Of course, I wouldn't mind at all if you guys still want to treat me with the respect and the deference accorded to a-"

"S-rank missions!? Peers!? Wait, does that mean we're all Jounins now!?" the Uzumaki shouted, his cerulean eyes shining with excitement. "Oh man, this is the coolest thing ever! I just got back to the village and I'm already a Jounin! Shikamaru was nagging me earlier about how I needed to pick up the pace. Ha! I can't wait to see the look on his face once he finds out I outrank him now!"

"Hold your horses, gaki. I never said anything about you reaching the rank of Jounin. Even though you're now qualified to take part in missions assigned mostly to Jounins, your rank of Genin remains very much the same. You haven't even passed the Chunin Exams, so don't go around thinking I will grant you the rank of Jounin when you haven't earned it, Naruto,"

Tsunade's words, coupled with the big, serious frown her face caused Naruto's jaw to drop slightly. He stuck his hands inside his pockets and kicked the grass with the sole of his boot, pouting. "Well, you could've started by saying that, baa-chan. You didn't need to get my hopes up like that,"

Shujinko stared at his blonde teammate wide-eyed. As much as he liked Naruto as a person, he couldn't understand how he could be so irreverent towards the Hokage. Shujinko knew Naruto had had a hand on bringing Tsunade to the village and that he wasn't just another ninja to her, but still, he could at least try to watch his manners when talking to the leader of Konohagakure. Sakura seemed to think so as well, for she quickly stomped her foot on his toes.

"Ouch! Sakura-chan, what did you do that for?" Naruto asked as he jumped on one foot, grabbing his toes in pain.

"For behaving like an idiot in front of Tsunade-sama, that's why," Sakura replied without missing a beat, and although Shujinko had never been fond of the way Sakura treated Naruto whenever he stepped out of line, this time he felt the Kyuubi Jinchuriki had it coming.

As for Jiraiya, he just smirked at the scene. The brat he had for a student reminded him of himself more than what he would care to admit.

The Hokage cleared her throat. "In any case, Team 7 will go on missions starting tomorrow. I want you to be in my office first thing in the morning, so make sure to get as much rest as you can. You're all dismissed,"

...

|Konoha District|

"Alright, it's time to party!"

After spending a considerable amount of time battling in the training grounds, Shujinko and the other members of the newly reinstated Team 7 found themselves walking through the streets of Konoha looking for a fun way to celebrate the night. Of course, since Naruto had just returned to the village, getting rest was the last thing on his mind. This was a special occasion, and as such, Shujinko reckoned he was well within his right to enjoy himself with his teammates, even if it meant getting home late and getting scolded by his parents for not letting them know he was going out tonight.

'How ironic,' Shujinko thought with slight amusement as he walked behind Naruto and Sakura, watching them talk excitedly about what kind of important missions they would be assigned starting from tomorrow. 'Me leaving the village for weeks is fine as long as I'm in a mission, but the one time I spend the night hanging out with my friends will get me an earful from my parents just because I didn't tell them beforehand. Well, nothing I can do about it now,'

"You seem to be more quiet than usual, Shujinko. A ryo for your thoughts?"

Shujinko heard Kakashi coming from behind, nose still buried in his book. The sensei and his student started walking together, putting some space between them and Naruto and Sakura. "Well, I've been meaning to talk to you, sensei. I don't want Naruto or Sakura to find out about what I want to ask you,"

"I'm terribly sorry Shujinko, but if you're going to ask me whether you can borrow my personal Icha Icha collection, my answer is no. I know it's an intriguing lecture, but it would speak rather poorly of me. Besides, I wouldn't want you and Tenten to get inspired by those books if you catch my drift,"

Shujinko gave his sensei a murderous glare while his face began to turn beet red. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested in those gross and repulsive adult novels of yours? And just so you know, you sound like a total creep whenever you include me and Tenten in that subject,"

Kakashi responded by giving his student his classic eye-smile, which only caused Shujinko to grow more irritated. His relationship with Tenten was one of the most intimate aspects of his life, and Shujinko was very reserved about it for the most part. The Ozuma believed this was primarily due to the fact that he and Tenten were the first couple of their generation and they just so happened to be in the same social circle of friends, which inevitably placed them in the spotlight.

It wasn't like people knowing they were a couple bothered them. They didn't try to hide their relationship from the rest of the world. But whenever they were asked about the more personal stuff, both he and Tenten became annoyed. He could still remember how embarrassed he felt when Masumi and Daichi had talked to him about their concerns regarding his relationship with his girlfriend and how teenagers such as himself would often develop a 'natural urge to explore the boundaries with their romantic partners'… Needless to say, Shujinko left his father's office with a blush so bright it could be spotted from miles away.

"It's not like Tenten and I have ever taken things that far," Shujinko stated just to make everything clear. "… And even if we had, it's none of your business,"

"Mah, mah, no need to get so defensive. I was only teasing you. Now, what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

Shujinko looked around and made sure no one but his sensei was listening to him. "Now that Naruto is back with us, what are we going to do about the Akatsuki?" he asked, cutting straight to the chase. Kakashi instantly hardened his gaze upon hearing the name of the organization, but that didn't stop Shujinko from elaborating. "You and I both know they're after him, Kakashi-sensei. They already tried to capture him years ago and it didn't go too well for either of us, if I recall correctly,"

Despite it being a memory from more than three years ago, Shujinko could still remember with perfect lucidity the time when he encountered Itachi and Kisame, the only members of the Akatsuki that he knew of. He didn't have much to say about Kisame other than the fact that he looked intimidating, but Itachi Uchiha… that man had basically killed him inside a Genjutsu. Illusion or not, the golden-eyed teenager had experienced how painful it was to have a sword going in and out of him. The agony and the desperation that came with seeing his own blood spilled all around him as he suffocated was something Shujinko would never forget.

But even so, he had gotten off _lightly _when compared to the torture his sensei had to go through at the hands of Sasuke's brother. Kakashi had been subjected to Itachi's Tsukuyomi, a technique that was every bit as powerful and malicious as Itachi himself was. It unnerved Shujinko to think what would've happened to him had he been the one on the receiving end of that Genjutsu. It was part of the reason why Shujinko had trained himself to fight against the Sharingan to the best of his abilities. That way, if he ever came across Sasuke or Itachi, he would at least stand a better chance against their terrifying visual prowess.

"It is what it is. We're not who we were three years ago. This time around, we'll be better prepared to face the members of the Akatsuki," Kakashi responded as he lowered his book. He then proceeded to touch the eye that his headband covered. "And if worst comes to worst, I'm confident my new Sharingan will take care of things,"

Shujinko blinked three consecutive times, which was his involuntary reaction whenever he failed to understand something. "Your new Sharingan? What's that supposed to mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Let's just say you're not the only one who's been training in secret, Shujinko,"

Before Shujinko could ask him any further questions, he was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat. It was Jiraiya, who was walking towards them with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. "Ah, Kakashi, just the man I was looking for," the Toad Sannin said before looking at the brown-haired teen. "Hello again, Shujinko. I see you're taking a stroll with your sensei after the bells challenge. That certainly was an entertaining spectacle,"

"I'm not sure I would call it a spectacle from my perspective, but I'm glad you were entertained, I suppose," Shujinko replied before noticing something. "Huuhm, Jiraiya-sama, what happened to your face?"

Jiraiya's left cheek had a reddish mark shaped like a hand, making almost half of his face look swollen. Even his left eye was slightly closed due to it. "What, this? It's nothing, just a token of affection from a lady I met at a bar. She was lovely, but she also had quite a temper," Jiraiya said, thinking back on how his indecent advances to that waitress had rewarded him with a vicious slap to his face, which wasn't something he wasn't used to after many years of being a dirty old man. "Anyhow, I need to have a word with your sensei. Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

Shujinko stared at Kakashi, who was giving him a look that said 'nothing personal, just business', causing his student to smirk knowingly. "I'm guessing this is the part where I'm supposed to get lost. That's alright, I have no intention of meddling in your affairs. Have a good night Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama," After a quick bow, Shujinko turned around and started walking towards his teammates, who were asking Shujinko to come and join them.

"That's quite the student you got there, Kakashi," Jiraiya commented as he saw the trio of teens walking away. "You did a good job training him,"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "I could say the same thing for you. Naruto's skills have grown by leaps and bounds. However, we cannot afford to become overconfident, not with the Akatsuki on the horizon,"

"That's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about. I have reasons to believe the Akatsuki are up to something, something big and bold. As agreed, I leave Naruto in your capable hands. Make sure he stays out of trouble, although I know that's easier said than done. From now on, always consider the possibility of running into the Akatsuki during whatever mission he's in,"

"Understood. And what about you, Jiraiya-sama? What are you going to do?"

"I'm afraid I can't stick around here very long. Getting reliable information on the Akatsuki is a job only I can do. I'll leave the village tomorrow morning so I can start making the rounds. Take care, Kakashi," Jiraiya said before weaving a hand sign and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted from a distance. "What are you standing there for? Let's go grab a bite to celebrate!"

"Sorry guys, but no can do. I have to compile a unit dossier for the new team and send it along for filling. It's boring work, but somebody has to do it. Enjoy your night, kiddos,"

And just like that, Kakashi imitated Jiraiya and used the Shunshin no Jutsu to leave the scene. Unlike many other instances, Kakashi wasn't telling his student some cock-and-bull excuse to explain his tardiness, or in this case, his reasons for leaving. The Hokage had indeed ordered him to do paperwork, and he had promised himself he would get right on it… As soon as he finished the chapter he was currently reading, that is. After spending hours fighting in the training grounds, Kakashi thought he was well within his right to pamper himself with a bit of his favorite lecture.

He deserved as much.

|Yoi Sakana's sushi bar|

"Man, I hadn't realized I had worked up this big of an appetite until just now," Shujinko said with a hand on his growling stomach. "Trust me, this place is great. I've been eating here since I was a little kid and not once have I ever walked out of here feeling disappointed,"

The Jounin, the Chunin, and the Genin of Team 7 were currently sitting at the tables of Yoi Sakana's, waiting for their meals to be brought to them. Shujinko had heavily insisted on visiting his favorite restaurant under the pretext that he wanted his teammates to try out the exquisite cuisine served there, but deep down he just wanted to eat a ton of sushi. Was Shujinko being dishonest? Maybe a little, but he had never claimed to be a saint, especially when it came to the food he loved.

Naruto, who was sitting next to Sakura, had his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. Instead of the capable and determined ninja that he was, the Uzumaki looked more like a defiant brat after being told 'no' by his parents. "I still don't understand why we couldn't just go to Ichiraku Ramen. It's still open and it's not that far away from here. Why don't we leave this place and go for some ramen instead?"

"Because you can't live your life eating the same stuff over and over again. It's not that hard to understand, Naruto," Sakura replied, looking slightly embarrassed by Naruto's childish behavior. "Besides, you already had some ramen before we met with Kakashi at the training grounds,"

"Yeah, and what of it? There's nothing wrong with going to the same place twice when you're hungry. And it was free ramen!" Naruto retorted. He then blinked before a sly smile crept over his lips. "Although, if we were to call this a date, I would probably be a lot more willing to give this sushi thing a chance. How about it, Sakura-chan?"

"Forget it, Naruto. Don't think you can push your luck just because you're back in the village. And in case you haven't noticed, we can't call this a date if there are three of us, you numbskull," As always, Sakura was quick to reject Naruto. It wasn't as if she took joy in doing that, but it was exasperating having to deal with Naruto and his constant advances when he knew she didn't return his feelings. "Speaking of which, isn't this the place you brought Tenten when you two had your first date, Shujinko?"

Shujinko nodded. "That's right. It was during the Tanabata Festival three years ago. It's crazy how fast time goes by," he said, smiling to himself as he recalled his first date with Tenten. The process of the relationship between them, although rewarding beyond doubt, had also been a challenging one for sure.

The first months of their relationship had been filled with incertitude as neither of them knew what they were supposed to do. Not only were they new to the dating scene, but they were also young ninjas with responsibilities towards their village. They both had to figure out how to make enough time for the two of them while also keeping up with their training, their missions, their friends, and their families. It was a hectic task, to say the least, and there had been several instances when they had nearly called off their relationship due to how complicated everything was.

Fortunately, neither of them ever threw in the towel because they knew how much they meant to each other. After much struggle, they eventually found a way to make things work. It took a lot of time, trust, and patience, but being together made everything worth it. Sure, it was still complicated at times, but that didn't change the fact that they were happy. In the end, that was all that really mattered.

"So why aren't you with Tenten right now?" Naruto asked.

"Team Gai had to leave Konoha for a mission last week. I don't remember all the details, but she should be heading back in a couple of days or so," Shujinko replied. "Anyways, it's not like we need to be together all of the time. You just got back to the village after three years of being absent, Naruto. If Tenten was here, she'd definitely tell me to be with you guys instead of being with her,"

Just then, the members of Team Kakashi were approached by a middle-aged man wearing white clothes underneath a blue chef apron. He had his long sleeves rolled up, revealing a pair of robust and hairy arms. Shujinko raised his eyes and smiled at the man whom he had known for almost all of his life. "Hey Masao, long time no see,"

"My oh my, if it isn't my favorite client," Masao replied with a smile of his own. "How have you been doin', kid? Feels like ages since you last came here. I see you brought some friends with ya'," the owner of the restaurant said as he grabbed a kitchen hanky from one of his apron's pockets and began cleaning his hands. "Name's Masao, owner of this fine establishment. It's a pleasure to meet y'all,"

Sakura performed a quick bow from her seat by nodding her head, following common norms of social courtesies. "Haruno Sakura. The pleasure is all ours,"

"Yeah, and my name is Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konohagakure," Unlike his female teammate, Naruto puffed out his chest, looking proud and decided.

"Uzumaki Naruto? Haruno Sakura? Ain't the pair of you Shujinko's teammates, the students of Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama?" Masao asked, to which they nodded. "In that case, feel free to ask me anything about Shujinko. I know all sorts of stories. Just wait until you hear about the time when I accidentally served him rotten sushi. I swear he nearly -"

"Alright, alright, let's leave the anecdotes for another occasion, shall we?" Shujinko cut him off, a look of pure embarrassment in his face. Naruto and Sakura seemed both amused and intrigued, and Masao couldn't help but chuckle. His laughter, however, was quickly replaced by a series of coughs that forced him to cover his mouth, turning his face away from Shujinko and his friends. The Ozuma went from embarrassed to curious, as well as a little concerned. "Oi, are you okay Masao? Do you need a glass of water or something?"

Masao cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's nothing, my boy. I'm alright. Been suffering a bit of bronchitis these past few days, nothing too serious,"

Shujinko nodded in understanding, but he couldn't help but notice how Masao looked slightly different from what he used to. He was paler than usual, and he even appeared to have lost a bit of weight. The Ozuma wanted to ask him about it but he didn't want to look nosy in front of Naruto and Sakura, so he decided to keep his mouth closed and ask him in private some other time.

"Anyways, my daughter will be here with your orders soon," Masao said before turning his head to the kitchen. "Oi, Yoishi! How's that food coming along? Your customers are waiting!"

"It'll be ready in a minute, tou-san!" a voice replied all the way from the other side. Shujinko turned his head back and saw a man in his thirties with short black hair wearing the same cooking uniform as his father.

"That's my son Yoishi. He's been practicing how to become a top-notch chef just like his old man. Guess you could say he's finally picked up the family's apron," Masao said, a look of pride in his face. He then discreetly pointed his finger at a woman who was informing a civilian family about the food in the menu. She seemed to be a couple of years older than Yoishi, maybe three or four. "Meanwhile, my daughter Hiroto is that waitress over there. Once she heard Yoishi had started cooking here, she quit her old job and began working here along with her brother just to contribute. Ain't that something?"

The golden-eyed Jounin was surprised to say the least. He had noticed the two individuals upon entering the sushi bar, but he wasn't expecting them to be Masao's flesh and blood. Even from a distance and despite the age gap, Shujinko could see a strong physical resemblance between them and their father. Had he known about this beforehand, he would've at least introduced himself to Yoishi and Hiroto.

The voice of Sakura snapped Shujinko out of his awe. "So it's a family-owned business then?"

Masao shrugged his shoulders. "Aye, you could say that,"

"Does that mean they get to eat sushi whenever they want for free?" Naruto asked.

"Eat sushi whenever they want for free?" Masao repeated dumbfounded before cracking a wide grin. "I like ya', kid. You're a funny one," he said, to which Naruto raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what was funny about what he had just said. Still, he decided that he liked this Masao guy. He sort of reminded him of Teuchi and that was good enough for him.

"You know, I had no idea your daughter and son were working here," Shujinko started to say. "Come to think of it, you've never had employees of any kind before. You've always run this place alone. What's the deal? Are things getting too busy here?"

Shujinko's questions caused Masao's face to drop a little. "… Yeah, well, time catches up with all of us. That's just how it goes. I can't do everything on my own forever, especially since…" he stopped mid-sentence and stared at Shujinko with an unfamiliar facial expression. The Jounin waited for the rest of his answer, but instead, Masao went back to smiling. "Nah, never mind. Wouldn't want to bother ya' with nonsense. I gotta' get back to work. Have a great night the three of you,"

The trio of ninjas watched how Masao turned his back and walked away. Shujinko frowned, wondering what had gotten into him. Masao wasn't the kind of man who hesitated to give an honest answer, certainly not when Shujinko was the one asking the questions. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but the sudden change in Masao's attitude, as brief as it had been, was still off-putting.

"Shujinko, is everything okay?" Sakura asked her teammate. "You look a bit distracted,"

"It's nothing," Shujinko replied with a neutral tone of voice. Whatever the problem with Masao was, it wasn't worth discussing it with Naruto and Sakura, at least not in this precise place and moment. Besides, it wasn't like making rushed judgments would do him any good. "Anyways, I didn't say this before, but I can't wait to go out on missions with you guys. It's been so long since we last did anything together. What kind of assignment do you think Tsunade-sama will task us with tomorrow?" the Ozuma asked, feeling the need to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Naruto snorted. "Whatever it is, it better be good. I didn't work my but off for three years just to return here and go back to chasing cats and clean littered rivers. No sir, I want something big and dangerous. I'm sure Tsunade-baa-chan will understand…"

…

|Next day at the Hokage's office|

"Baa-chan, you don't understand!" Naruto exclaimed, acting as if he had just been insulted. "There's no way I'm doing something as boring as escorting a caravan!"

Tsunade glared daggers at him. "Excuse me? Do you have a problem with my decision?"

"Damn right I do! Out of all the assignments you could've picked, you chose to give us some lame C-rank mission? Come on, that's the kind of stuff even a kid can handle! Team 7 deserves something much more challenging, believe it!"

Shujinko had to hold back a grimace. _Of course _Team 7's first mission after three years of inactivity had to start like this, with Naruto throwing a fit right in front of the Godaime Hokage. It wasn't as if the blonde knucklehead didn't have a point, and honestly, Shujinko thought Team 7 could take care of a B-rank or even an A-rank mission after the level of prowess he and his teammates had displayed during the bells challenge. However, did Naruto truly believe raising a ruckus at the Hokage's office was going to help his case in the slightest?

"Naruto-kun, please be reasonable about this," Shizune intervened. "Tsunade-sama isn't trying to belittle you or any of your teammates. Team 7 hasn't been on active duty for a very long period of time. It would be unwise to send all four of you on a high-risk mission right off the bat. You need to adjust yourself to your squad once again, and the best way to do that is by starting off slowly with these C-rank missions,"

"And besides, I've already selected other teams to do these difficult assignments you're asking for, so it's not like you have much of a choice. Don't forget I am the Hokage, Naruto. If you're not mature enough to deal with these simple missions, then I can't and won't entrust you with harder ones. It's as simple as that," Tsunade said with utmost finality.

Anyone with a shred of common sense would know better than to get on Tsunade's nerves and risk invoking her anger. However, common sense was often the least common of the senses, at least in Naruto's case. "I miss the Sandaime Hokage. That old man had faith in us," he muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Such blatant disrespect was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tsunade stood up and slammed her palms down on her desk, shaking the piles of paperwork that were on it. "What did you just say to me, brat?"

"Nothing! He didn't say anything!" Shujinko said in an alarmed tone of voice. Naruto was about to claim otherwise, but Sakura immediately threw her arm around his neck and forced him to shut up by placing her hand on his mouth. Kakashi simply stood there with a distressed look on his face, wondering how the student of the legendary Jiraiya could be such an idiot at times. "Tsunade-sama, please don't listen to Naruto. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Just give us any mission you want and we'll take care of it,"

But Shujinko's words fell on deft ears. The granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage wasn't going to sit there and put up with that kind of insult, especially when it came from Naruto. That boy knew full well how much faith she had in him. He was the one who had restored her faith in the first place, so Naruto calling her faith into question was not something that Tsunade was willing to tolerate.

"You know something, Naruto? Don't worry about this C-rank mission. You're clearly not mature enough to handle it. As a punishment, you'll be stuck doing nothing but D-rank missions for the next two weeks. Maybe then you'll stop behaving like a spoiled child,"

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki looked ready to blow a gasket. Even Shujinko winced at that. Once he got Sakura to unhand him, Naruto opened his mouth to protest against the unjust punishment he was facing, but he barely got two words out before he was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Tsunade-sama!" a woman shouted as she barged into the room. Everyone turned around to see her, but she ignored the gazes and didn't stop until she reached the Hokage's desk. "Tsunade-sama, I bring a message decoded by the Intelligence Division! They say it's an emergency!"

"An emergency, just what my morning needed," Tsunade grumbled as she took the scroll from the woman's hand. She opened it and began reading the decoded message, only for her eyes to widen in shock. "… I don't believe this…"

Kakashi narrowed his only visible eye. "What happened, Tsunade-sama?"

"This is a plea for help sent by Sunagakure no Sato," the Godaime Hokage replied as she lowered the scroll she was holding. Upon seeing the look on Tsunade's face, Shujinko knew right away it couldn't be anything good, but what he heard next almost made his jaw drop. "The Kazekage has been captured by the Akatsuki,"

* * *

|Sunagakure no Sato|

Mayhem.

No other word could describe Sunagakure's current state of affairs any better. Ninjas of all ranks and ages were running from one place to another, doing everything they could to appease the frightened civilian population of the village. It was extremely difficult to feign stability and order when last night, villagers and ninjas alike witnessed what had to be the most preposterous event in the history of Sunagakure since its birth: Someone had infiltrated their village, fought against their Kazekage, and successfully captured him right in front of everyone's eyes.

It was enough to strike fear into the heart of the most seasoned and disciplined of warriors. Every single shinobi in Sunagakure, including the ANBU forces and the recently graduated class of Genins, was dumbfounded. The civilians were fairing even worse as most of them lacked the kind of mental fortitude that ninjas possessed. They had been kept awake all night hearing the sounds of bombs going off in the sky, and now that their leader was gone, panic had taken hold of them. Thanks to Gaara's efforts during the fight, the village had been left standing relatively intact and no civilian casualties were suffered, but how long was that going to last without the Kazekage to protect them?

Those were Baki's thoughts as he entered the emergency ward where Kankuro was being treated. The brother of the Kazekage had sustained critical damage after his encounter with the Akatsuki, and his condition was worsening every passing minute. Kankuro was screaming in agony, grabbing his bedsheets and shaking his head side to side, desperately gasping for breath. It was certainly a pitiful sight, and Baki could only imagine how much pain his student was going through.

"What's his status? Have you made any progress?" Baki asked to the medical ninja in charge of overseeing the clinical procedure.

"Not much I'm afraid. He's holding up, but only just. We discovered an abundant amount of toxins flowing through his body, which can only be the result of poisoning. This poison is weakening his organs and attacking his muscles at the same time, as well as causing a handful of other minor side effects. My colleagues and I have never seen anything like it,"

"But if we're dealing with poison here, then surely there must be some kind of antidote you can use,"

"That's the problem. None of the antidotes that we have at our disposal will work against this poison, as it contains toxins we haven't studied before. So far, we've managed to slightly decrease the rate at which the poison spreads and we've reduced some of Kankuro's pain by using sedatives, but if we don't find out what are the toxin's components and how they work, creating an effective antidote is out of our reach,"

Their conversation was interrupted by Kankuro, who began to contort his body and holler out of pain. Two assistants immediately restrained him while a third one came with a syringe and injected its liquid content into one of the veins in Kankuro's arm. The screams of the puppet master gradually died down until they became groans and gasps.

"… How much time does he have?" Baki asked, fearing for the worst.

The medical ninja checked his notepad and used what little information they had to make an assessment. "We estimate a total of three days starting from this morning, give or take a couple of hours. After that, we won't be able to mitigate the spread the poison and his body will simply give up,"

Only three days… By this time, the message requesting for immediate help should've reached Konohagakure already. They had used their fastest hawk to deliver the message, in which they solicited a rescue team along with the most skilled medical ninja available. The distance between Konohagakure and Sunagakure could be traveled in three days by a shinobi squad as long as they went at a fast pace and encountered no significant issues along the way.

Assuming that the rescue team from Konohagakure would make it to their village in time, and assuming that said rescued team included a medical ninja who could do something about the poison… Kankuro would be hours away from dying before the assistance he so badly needed came to his aid, and that was their best-case scenario.

Was it still possible to save Kankuro? Yes. Was it likely? Most definitely not.

The sound of coughing halted Baki's depressing train of thought. He walked up to where his student was and laid his hand on Kankuro's shoulder. "Hang in there, Kankuro. Help is on the way," he said. The Jounin wasn't sure if giving Kankuro hope was the right thing to do when considering almost all the odds were stacked against the puppet master, but Baki wasn't giving up on his student just yet.

He was surprised when Kankuro slowly raised his hand and grabbed his sensei's wrist before muttering some words. Baki realized he was trying to tell him something, so he leaned over and placed his ear close to Kankuro's mouth.

"What is it?"

"… Red sand… Red sand…"

* * *

|Konohagakure no Sato|

Team 7 was given twenty minutes to pack up and leave. Their mission? To rescue the Kazekage and bring him back to safety at all costs. An S-rank mission, no less.

Shujinko darted around in his room making sure he had everything he needed for a three-day trip. He had never gone to Sunagakure before, and he didn't know what to expect except for sand and harsh temperatures. Ninjas were supposed to travel lightly, so he only kept one spare set of clothes in his backpack. The rest of the space was used to store equipment such as food, water, and a sleeping bag. He kept his shinobi tools such as kunais, shurikens, explosive tags and smoke bombs inside holsters and his back pouch while bigger weaponry was sealed inside a scroll he kept in one of the pockets of his vest.

'I knew the Akatsuki were a dangerous bunch, but to capture the Kazekage in his own village?' Shujinko thought as he adjusted his backpack. As a shinobi, he couldn't imagine something more insulting for Sunagakure than to have its leader defeated and abducted by criminals. After all, Sunagakure wasn't some small second-rate village such as Hoshigakure and Tanigakure. It was one of the five most powerful villages in existence, one of the 'big boys' of the ninja world.

Then again, this whole thing had been planned and carried out by the Akatsuki, a criminal organization whose members were all S-rank missing ninjas. Shujinko didn't know what kind of goal the Akatsuki was trying to accomplish or if its members had their own set of beliefs or something that resembled a code, but if the Akatsuki had recruited the likes of Itachi Uchiha, then surely morality wasn't something the members of said organization cared much for. As far as the young Ozuma was aware, they were all scum.

Very powerful scum.

"What are you doing?"

Shujinko's thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from behind. He turned around and saw his sister standing on the threshold of his room, leaning her shoulder against the open door. "Hey there, Nanami. I was just getting my stuff packed. My teammates and I are going out on a mission, a very important one,"

Nanami furrowed her brow and stared at her brother. Now twelve years-old, the young kunoichi's appearance had gone through a noticeable transformation. She was wearing a beige pair of pants and a black and a white shirt underneath a black, sleeveless hoodie with the golden Ozuma crest on the back. Her brown hair was no longer tied back in a ponytail and was now loose and unrestricted, but Nanami never kept it too long due to practical reasons. As for her headband, she preferred it to keep it tied around her slim waist.

"What about you? Aren't you supposed to be practicing with your teammates right now?" Shujinko asked. Nanami had left the Academy a few months ago, having graduated as one of the top students from her class thanks to her tenacity and her commitment. As per usual custom, she was part of a four-man squad with two other classmates and a Jounin sensei.

"We had to cut short our training session today. Hoheto-sensei had to assist to an important Hyuuga clan meeting and left us a couple of exercises to keep us busy, but practicing them with Saburo or Yudai would've been pointless. Those two kept whining about how I wasn't willing to slow down my pace for them, so I left them and went home to make my lunch for when I start my own training," Nanami replied as if it was no big deal. "Anyways, what's this important mission you were talking about? Can you tell me anything about it?"

Shujinko let out a sigh and walked up to his sister. "I'm heading out to Sunagakure no Sato. They need our help to deal with a nasty problem, so it'll be days before I can return here. I'm afraid that's all the information I'm allowed to reveal to you," Then, with a small smile on his lips, the Jounin stretched his arms out and pulled Nanami into a hug, one that the kunoichi had no intention of reciprocating as she placed her hands against her brother's chest in an attempt to push him away.

"Oi! What's the matter with you?" Nanami asked indignantly as her cheeks went slightly red from anger and embarrassment.

"I'm just trying to hug my little sister goodbye," Shujinko said in a playful manner, amused by how the young Genin was struggling to keep her arms straight. "Come on chibi-chan, don't be so grumpy. It's only a quick hug from your brother,"

"I don't care, keep your hugs to yourself! And stop calling me chibi-chan!"

"Chibi-chan or not, you'll never be too old for one of my hugs," Shujinko said before pulling her closer to him. Nanami finally gave up and stopped offering resistance, allowing her brother to hug her but refusing to return the embrace. Her left cheek was pressed against Shujinko's chest, which in turn made Nanami look as if she was pouting comically, an expression that would otherwise never appear on her face. "Take care, Nanami. Listen to your sensei and work with your teammates even if it's difficult. Inform tou-san and kaa-san about my mission and tell them I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? I'll miss you,"

An annoyed grunt left Nanami's mouth. "Sure, I'll miss you too. Can you please stop now?"

Shujinko did as told and ended the hug. He said goodbye to his sister one last time before rushing down the stairs and opening the door of his house, stepping outside with the hope of returning to his family and home, but also with the knowledge that several days or even weeks could pass before that ever happened... if it happened at all. As he made his way to meet his team, Shujinko knew he couldn't get distracted by anything once his mission began, so he decided to spend what little time he had mulling over his sister and her behavior before he reached the entrance of the village.

Nanami, his young and only sibling, had changed. The girl who used to be an adorable tomboy who saw fun and excitement everywhere had gone on to become a focused kunoichi with clear goals for her future. Her progress was remarkable, and if Shujinko had to make a quick assessment of her skills, he'd say his sister was about on par with him when he was her age, and she had yet to awaken the Karura Tensei. Shujinko was incredibly proud of her, and he was sure she would one day be hailed as one of the strongest kunoichis of her generation.

However, Shujinko was also quite worried about his sister. Her desire to improve her own abilities every day had turned Nanami into a colder, more reserved version of who she used to be, to the point where Shujinko had trouble recognizing her. She showed little interest in working with her teammates as they weren't on her level, and the respect she had for her sensei seemed to be nothing more than the due deference a student owed her teacher, a hollow obedience at best. Her attitude at home wasn't much better, often choosing to remain silent unless spoken to and wearing a mask of stoicism most of the time.

Pride and pain. That was what the golden-eyed Jounin experienced whenever he saw Nanami. He wanted to see her succeed as a ninja, to see her achieve everything she set her mind to, yet not at the expense of her sense of self. Maybe Shujinko was exaggerating and Nanami was simply going through a problematic phase, but it still hurt to know his sister wasn't allowing herself to feel happiness like she used to. He partly blamed himself for this. After all, wasn't he her older brother? Wasn't his responsibility to help her, to give her guidance with what little wisdom he possessed and she did not?

'This can't go on like this,' Shujinko thought as a pang of guilt stabbed his conscience. 'I've been neglecting Nanami for too long. I don't know how I'll do it, but I will find a way to make it up to her. No matter what it takes, I will be the brother she needs,'

As good as his intentions were, Shujinko would have to wait before he could put them into practice. Once he reached the entrance of the village, he saw the rest of his teammates were already gathered there, including his sensei. Naruto urged him to hurry up and Shujinko obliged, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand. He gathered all of his concerns that weren't related to the mission and locked them inside a box, a box that only existed in his head and that would only open once Shujinko returned to Konoha.

"Very well, now that we're all here, let's get this mission started," Kakashi said with a firm voice. "I'll lead the way. We'll discuss our next course of action once we get to Sunagakure no Sato, so until then, don't bother to ask questions. Now let's go, there's a Kazekage that needs our help,"

* * *

Aaaaaaand that was chapter 4. Hope you all liked it.

Since the last chapter was packed with action, I wanted this one to be slower and more centered around Shujinko's life outside of missions. That way, the Kazekage Rescue arc can start at a proper pace.

Old characters from the previous story have made their return, and a couple of new ones have made their first (and admittedly brief) appearance. As you can see, things aren't exactly great between Nanami and the rest of her family members for the moment, but hey, what's life without a bit of family drama?

For those who are asking me to upload faster (since most of us are spending our days inside our houses due to the Coronavirus including myself), please keep in mind a couple of things. I enjoy writing this story and making you guys happy, but don't expect me to be working on it 24/7. There are other things that require my attention as well, such as my studies and my physical condition for example. I also have other stories to work on aside from this one. And lastly, I only upload chapters when I'm certain of their quality, so telling me to get them done faster is a waste of time.

That being said, I'd like to thank you all for your support. Remember to stay safe out there.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5 (part 1)

**CHAPTER 5: THE KAZEKAGE'S RESCUE (PART 1)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)

"Talking / Jutsu"

'Thinking'

'_Flashback'_

"_Flashback talk"_

"**Demonic voice"**

_Letter / Emphasis_

* * *

"Tsunade-sama?"

The Godaime Hokage raised her eyes upon hearing her name. She was sitting with her arms crossed, and as usual, there was an unholy amount of paperwork sitting on her desk, as well as a couple of thick binders where she kept files and reports. "Yes, Shizune? Is there something you need?"

"Not really, I was just checking up on you. You've been sitting there for hours reading nonstop, and it doesn't seem like you're close to finishing," Shizune replied as she stared at all the books, folders, and scrolls the Hokage was reading. Some of them were on the floor stacked on one another as there wasn't enough space for them to fit on the desk. Shizune wondered how someone could have the mental faculties to endure such a tedious job without going insane.

The busty Senju let out a sigh. Under normal circumstances, Tsunade would've used the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and have a shadow clone of hers deal with the desk work aspect of her job, just like Shujinko had advised her to do the day she granted him the rank of Chunin. This method had allowed Tsunade to go on occasional undercover visits to some of Konoha's betting houses and enjoy two of the few things that helped her keep her sanity: Alcohol and gambling.

However, Sunagakure and its Kazekage were in a critical situation. In cases such as this one, Tsunade preferred to do it herself instead of relying on shadow clones, as despite their usefulness, they could place a great amount of strain on her mind if she wasn't careful enough. Tsunade had learned this the hard way when a clone of hers dispelled itself after spending the entire night reading and doing paperwork while the real Tsunade was waking up with a nasty hangover after a night of heavy drinking. The overwhelming amount of information her brain received from the shadow clone combined with the after-effects of alcohol intoxication gave Tsunade the worst migraine of her life, forcing her to stay in bed for two days straight.

"You don't have to worry about me, Shizune. This is not my first time overworking and it most certainly won't be the last," Tsunade said before taking a sip of her tea, to which she had added a couple of drops of sake behind Shizune's back. "I want to send a support squad over to Sunagakure. It's very likely that Team Kakashi will run into members of the Akatsuki during their mission, so they'll need all the assistance they can get. The thing is, I'm not entirely sure who we should send,"

"How about Team Gai?" Shizune suggested. "They arrived this morning after completing their mission. I think they would make a great support squad for Team Kakashi,"

"I agree. Team Gai was my first choice when I started measuring the options. However, this is the Akatsuki we're talking about. Giving them an S-rank mission when they've just returned from an assignment doesn't seem like the best alternative, regardless of how capable they are,"

There was that, and there was also another detail that, while not crucial, was still relevant enough for the Godaime Hokage to take into consideration. One of the members from Team Gai, Tenten, was in a long-term romantic relationship with Shujinko, one of the ninjas whom she had assigned to rescue the Kazekage. Tsunade first became aware of this when she overheard Sakura talking to her friend Ino during one of their many medical Ninjutsu practices together some time ago, and as far as Tsunade knew, the couple was still going strong after three years.

Now, Tsunade had nothing against Shujinko and Tenten being in a relationship together. If the pair of them wanted to date each other, that was their business. A Hokage had far more important things to worry about, and honestly, Tsunade was a little too old to care about teenage love. However, the factor of their relationship complicated the equation when it came to a mission. Tsunade was hesitant to put those two together in a situation where emotions could get in the way of duty. She trusted in them the same way she trusted any shinobi from her village, but even a shinobi's composure could falter at the thought of a loved one being in danger.

The feeling of sharing the battlefield with a romantic partner was something Tsunade knew only too well. After all, she had been forced to fight alongside Dan during the Second Great Shinobi War, and watching the light fading away from her boyfriend's eyes while she desperately tried to keep him alive was a memory that haunted Tsunade even to this day. That was why she wanted to avoid a similar scenario from ever happening under her leadership. In the best of cases, Shujinko and Tenten working together against the Akatsuki could potentially lead to sentimental problems between them, and those problems would affect the rest of the group in terms of teamwork.

As she mulled over what to do, Tsunade reached for some tea, only for the cup to crack before her hand could touch it.

Shizune blinked in surprise. "Did that cup just…"

"A bad omen," Tsunade said as her face took on a concerned frown. Without a second thought, Konoha's Slug Princess placed her arms on the desk and pushed the piles of books and folders away, throwing them to the sides. She then opened a drawer, grabbed a newspaper, and flipped through the pages until she found the announcements section. "Shizune, hand me the lottery ticket I bought last weekend!" Tsunade shouted, slamming the extended newspaper onto the desk.

"Hai!" Shizune replied as she frantically searched her pockets for the object requested while holding Tonton in her arms. The poor piglet quickly became dizzy as Shizune waved her around unintentionally. By the time Shizune found the lottery ticket, Tonton's eyes had been replaced with a pair of swirly spirals.

Tsunade grabbed the ticket and began looking for the results of the latest lottery. If she had won something, anything at all, then it was a bad omen for sure. The larger the prize, the bigger the tragedy would be. Once she found the results of the lottery company she had bought the ticket from, Tsunade checked if she had any of the winning numbers… and a gasp escaped from her lips.

"Tsunade-sama, is everything alright?" Shizune asked with a worried voice. She nearly dropped Tonton when she looked at the Hokage's face, which had paled slightly.

"Shizune, I need you to contact the members of Team Gai. Tell them they are to pack up and wait for me at the entrance of the village. I'm sending them to Sunagakure,"

"Team Gai?" Shizune repeated. "But didn't you say you weren't sure about-"

"I know what I said! Just get going already!"

"R-R-Right away, Tsunade-sama!" A frightened Shizune replied, leaving the office as fast as she could. Tonton's squeals of discomfort soon filled the corridor as she wobbled between Shizune's arms. Once she was alone, Tsunade intertwined her fingers together and rested her chin against her knuckles, not wanting to believe the calamity that was about to come. She took one last look at the ticket and a shiver ran down her spine.

She had won the first prize in the lottery.

* * *

|Kawa no Kuni|

"Well, we're here at last, hmnh," Deidara said, staring at the entrance of Akatsuki's hideout.

The place was located in a cavern hidden behind a huge wall of flat earth, and the only access into the cavern was blocked by a round boulder with a large barrier seal attached to it. A red torii gate stood in front of the entrance, indicating that the cavern used to be a sacred place of worship before it was discovered by Zetsu. The Akatsuki saw no problem in defiling an underground sanctuary and turning it into a wretched den simply because it suited the organization and its purposes.

"Let's get going, then. We don't have a second to spare," Sasori replied, his deep voice filled with disgruntlement. "We already wasted plenty of time thanks to you and your need to show off your art,"

Deidara frowned at his partner. "Oi, cut me some slack, will you? In case you don't remember, I'm the one who's missing a limb here," he said while raising his left arm, or at least what remained of it. Meanwhile, a white clay bird was hovering in circles above the two members of the Akatsuki, carrying the comatose body of Gaara. The Godaime Kazekage had managed to protect his village from Deidara's attacks, but in doing so, he was forced to subject himself to the explosions of the clay bombs.

Sasori didn't hesitate to return the glare. "And whose fault is that? You were the one who insisted on taking care of the Ichibi Jinchuriki by yourself. Maybe you'd still have your left arm if you weren't so careless,"

"Alright, fair enough. Let's just get this over with, hmnh," The two artists climbed down the cliff and made their way to the entrance of the hideout. Once they were in front of the boulder, Deidara performed the Ram hand sign. The seal attached to be boulder began to glow red and the huge rock dragged itself forward, allowing safe passage to the members of the Akatsuki and the bird with the Jinchuriki on its back.

Inside of his puppet Hiruko, Sasori sent chakra to his purple ring, calling forth the leader of the Akatsuki. Meanwhile, the boulder dragged itself back into its previous position, sealing the hideout's entrance once again. It wasn't long before a distorted, semi-transparent figure appeared in front of them.

"You are late," Pain said as his static voice echoed around the cavern. Despite his shifting holographic image, Pain's Rinnegan remained steady and unperturbed, giving him the appearance of a ghost who had stones for eyes.

"Sorry about that. The task of capturing the Ichibi Jinchuriki turned out to be a lot harder than we first anticipated," the missing ninja from Iwagakure replied, his voice adopting a slightly more respectful tone than usual. Despite being one of the most impudent and cheeky members of the Akatsuki, Deidara knew better than to test the patience of the leader of their organization, even if it was only a hologram he was talking to. "In any case, the job is done. This Jinchuriki is ready to have its Bijuu extracted,"

"We must act fast. The ninjas from Sunagakure will stop at nothing to find their Kazekage," Sasori warned.

In response, Pain weaved a couple of hand signs and slammed his palm against the ground. "Kuchiyose: Gedō Mazō,"

The earth beneath their feet trembled, and a titanic statue started to emerge from it. Like a demon from the dark depths of the underworld, the grotesque humanoid kept springing up until it nearly reached the top of the cavern, which provided barely enough room for its face and hands to come from below. Eventually, the behemoth of a creature Pain had summoned came to a halt, although its lack of movement hardly made the statue any less intimidating.

"It is time for the others to join us," Pain declared before jumping over to the Gedo Mazo, landing on one of its fingers. Deidara and Sasori did the same, and one by one, the rest of the members of the Akatsuki appeared in the form of holograms just like their leader. "The Ichibi Jinchuriki has been captured. We must extract his Bijuu at once,"

"Where the hell is Tobi?" Kisame asked, noticing how the masked buffoon was nowhere to be seen. "Tch, never mind. That idiot would only get in the way,"

"Ugh, I hate doing this shit. How am I supposed to concentrate my chakra for three days straight without losing my damn mind?" Hidan demanded to know, to which Kakuzu snorted. Was he supposed to believe his partner had a mind to lose?

"I believe it will take us more time than that," Itachi interjected. "The process of extracting a Bijuu from its Jinchuriki already required three days back when Orochimaru was still working with us. Without him, we must assume the process will be at least several hours longer than before,"

"All the more reason to start right away," Pain responded before weaving the Ram hand sign. The rest of the Akatsuki did the same. Once everyone was ready, Pain unleashed a technique only a Rinnegan bearer could ever perform, the bane of all Jinchurikis. "Fūinjutsu: Genryū Kyūfūjin,"

* * *

|Hi no Kuni|

"Yosh! Team Gai is back at it again!" an exuberant Gai proclaimed at the top of his lungs. The Taijutsu specialist was making his way through the deep forests of his homeland with Neji, Lee, and Tenten following closely behind him. "This is what I call a stroke of good luck. For Tsunade-sama to assign us an S-rank mission immediately after our arrival to the village, and with Team Kakashi no less! How I wish these surprises occurred more often! Onwards, my students! Let us charge ahead at full speed, for the springtime of youth waits for no one!"

"I am right behind you, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted, sharing his teacher's level of excitement. The passing of time had barely changed Lee at all, as he was still the same enthusiastic, spandex-loving shinobi that he was three years ago. Just like Shujinko, Lee hadn't stopped using his Chunin vest ever since he got his, which at least made his current outfit less hideous than what it used to be.

With Gai leading the squad, his three students remained in the back of the formation, jumping together from one tree branch to another. As they advanced through the forest, Neji, the other Jounin of the group, suddenly had a thought he believed was worthy of sharing with the rest of his team. "I heard Naruto had returned to the village before he was sent to Sunagakure with the rest of Team Kakashi. We haven't seen him in a long time,"

Lee nodded vigorously. "Indeed. I am curious to see how much he has changed. Knowing Naruto-kun, he must have gotten considerably stronger," he said before tightening his fists in anticipation. "Also, Shujinko-kun is participating in this mission and Sakura-san as well. I am so glad Tsunade-sama chose us for this. It will be like a reunion of friends!"

"I'm not sure I would call this a reunion of friends, Lee," Tenten replied as she adjusted the large scroll on her back. Instead of carrying several sealing scrolls around, the kunoichi now kept all of her weapons stored inside a single one, which was a lot more practical despite the added weight. "If you ask me, I'd rather reunite with friends at a restaurant instead of joining them on an S-rank mission. Still, I can't deny I'm happy we'll get to see them,"

While meeting Naruto after three years of him being away was certainly going to be interesting, Tenten was more distracted by the fact that her boyfriend was going to be there as well. Ever since she started dating Shujinko, the two of them had only gone on missions together a couple of times in the past, and none of those missions had been S-ranks. It was going to be a weird situation, because as much as Tenten enjoyed being with Shujinko, saving the Kazekage while fighting against the Akatsuki wasn't exactly her idea of spending quality time together.

'Shujinko must be in Kaze no Kuni by now,' Tenten thought to herself. 'I hope he's doing alright,'

* * *

|Kaze no Kuni|

The journey to Sunagakure, despite being a tiring one, had been uneventful… for the most part.

With the Copy Ninja as their guide, the members of Team Kakashi traveled across Hi no Kuni at a steady pace, resting in between for short periods of time. While Shujinko and Sakura were in favor of taking small breaks every now and then, Naruto was annoyed by this, as he wanted to get to Sunagakure as soon as possible. Although his determination to rescue Gaara was understandable and even commendable, it got to the point where it was almost frustrating. On several occasions, Shujinko tried to explain to his friend that attempting to make the journey at full speed without stopping was both reckless and counterproductive, but Naruto didn't seem to listen.

Not too long after leaving their village, Team Kakashi came across Temari, who just happened to be on her way home after fulfilling her ambassador duties. Of course, she was unaware of everything that had happened to both her village and her brother, so once she was filled in by Kakashi, Temari didn't think twice about it and joined them. Her addition to the group proved to be quite helpful once they reached the lands of Kaze no Kuni, as Temari knew her way around the desert better than any of them ever could, telling them where to go and how long would it take them to reach Sunagakure.

Lady luck seemed to be smiling on them… right until a sand storm came along. Thanks to Temari, Team Kakashi managed to find refuge in a cave before the unforgiving winds of Kaze no Kuni could catch up to them. Like a ship stranded in the middle of an ocean of sand, Shujinko and the rest of the crew were forced to stay put and wait for the storm to pass. At first, everyone was quiet and kept their emotions under check, but as time went on, Naruto became more and more anxious.

Eventually, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki got fed up with the situation and let everybody know about it. "That's it! I can't take this anymore!" Naruto exclaimed as he got up. "We can't let some stupid sand storm get in the way of our mission! I say we should leave this place right now!"

Shujinko immediately grabbed Naruto and pushed him back down before his teammate could do something stupid. "We will do no such thing, Naruto. You already heard Temari. The only thing we can do right now is to wait until the storm ends, and once it does, we'll pick up the pace to make up for the time we've lost. There's no other choice,"

"But Shujinko, we don't know when the storm's gonna end!" Naruto countered with an exasperated look on his face. "Sunagakure isn't too far away from where we are. Temari said so herself! Instead of waiting, we can move through the storm and-"

"And end up lost in the middle of nowhere, without water or a sense of direction to rely on," Kakashi interrupted him. "I understand this is frustrating, but you're not doing anyone a favor by losing your composure during a moment like this. Leaving this cave now would benefit the Akatsuki, not our mission,"

"Besides, look at Temari here," Sakura said, pointing at the kunoichi sitting next to her. "Don't forget she's Gaara's sister. This situation is affecting her more than any of us, yet she's still keeping a level head. You have to follow her example, Naruto,"

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but words failed him. He knew his emotions were getting the better of him, that he wasn't going to help Gaara by acting out, but he just couldn't help it. Gaara's life was on the line, and the thought of failing to help one of the very few people who truly understood a Jinchuriki's hardships was too much for him to bear.

As he stared at Naruto, the corner of Shujinko's mouth tugged down, feeling sorry for him. Up until recently, the nature of the relationship between Naruto and Gaara had been a mystery for the golden-eyed Jounin. He used to ignore why the Kazekage meant so much to him, especially considering how much of a bloodthirsty maniac Gaara used to be when they were younger. It wasn't until his conversation with Temari that Shujinko began to realize how strong their bond was, but most importantly, why it was so strong.

_|Last night|_

"_You know, we've never really talked that much, you and me," Shujinko said to Temari. The two of them were sitting on a fallen tree trunk close to a small fire Kakashi had started earlier. The rest of the squad was sleeping, and in a couple of hours, it was going to be the turn of Naruto and Sakura to keep an eye on the camp. It was late at night, and since he had nothing better to do, Shujinko thought he might as well talk to Temari for a while and kill a bit of boredom._

_Temari raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that your best conversation starter?" she asked, to which Shujinko shrugged his shoulders._

"_It got you talking, didn't it? I may not know a whole lot about you, but you don't strike me as the type of girl who enjoys long and awkward silences. I certainly don't enjoy them,"_

"_Maybe you don't know girls as well as you think you do, although I suppose you can't be too clueless if you have a girlfriend… How's she doing?"_

"_Tenten? She's doing fine. We've been together for a good while now. She hasn't forgotten how you beat her during the Chunin Exams, and she still wants to have a rematch," Shujinko said, and a small smirk tugged at the corner of Temari's mouth. "The Chunin Exams… Crazy how time flies. You and your siblings were the first ninjas from Sunagakure us members of Team 7 ever met. I remember how much Gaara used to freak me out back then. He was a scary guy, that's for sure,"_

_The smirk on Temari's face quickly faded away and was replaced with a frown. Shujinko gulped, feeling like an idiot for bringing up the subject of Gaara now of all times. He hadn't intended to speak ill of her brother whom the Akatsuki had recently kidnapped, he was just mindlessly reminiscing about the past since he couldn't think of other topics. _

"_I mean, back in the day… He was… Well, you know…"_

"_I understand," Temari said, her eyes fixated on the fire in front of her. "If I'm being honest, I was scared of him as well. I couldn't bring myself to see Gaara as my little brother. He seemed so… inhuman to me. Living with him was like being a spy constantly surrounded by the enemy, as I always had to be careful around him. Kankuro and I were too afraid to try and make him change for the better, so we just left him be. It wasn't until he met Naruto that Gaara began to see the world in a different light,"_

_Shujinko remained silent. He remembered the time when Gaara tried to kill Lee while he was unconscious in the hospital. The golden-eyed boy, along with Naruto and Shikamaru, were able to find Gaara before he could carry out the murder. Gaara was absolutely unfazed by this and proceeded to tell them about his childhood, as well as the monster that was sealed inside of him since the day he was born. That day, Shujinko came to understand the red-haired Genin a tiny bit better, but he simply couldn't make sense of how someone like Gaara could exist, with such thirst for blood and desire to kill._

_As the smoke from the fire slowly rose to the dark sky, Shujinko stole a discreet glance at Naruto, who was sleeping on his right side a little further away from the rest of his squad members. That goofball who used to be mocked by his peers and belittled by almost everyone around him was able to turn Gaara's life around. Shujinko had witnessed the unique effect his teammate had on people in more than one occasion. _

_The first time he saw it happen was during Team 7's fight against Zabuza, when the Demon of the Mist became more human than ever after Naruto's words forced the swordsman to recognize his pain and grief over Haku's death. He then saw it a second time when Neji, the genius cursed by destiny, was defeated by Naruto, the fool who was brave enough to believe in himself, making the talented member of the Hyuuga clan reevaluate his outlook on life and its true meaning. And although he hadn't been there to see the fight between Naruto and Gaara, Shujinko knew his teammate had changed Gaara by the end of their battle, and the boy who used to seek the death of everyone around him went on to become Kazekage, the protector of Sunagakure and its people._

"_I've always wondered something about Naruto and Gaara," Shujinko began to say. "What is it that makes them see each other so uniquely? I know they're both Jinchurikis, but that alone doesn't explain how they can relate to one another so strongly. Naruto is my friend and my teammate, yet sometimes I feel like I just don't know him as well as I should. There are certain things about him that I don't understand, and his relationship with Gaara is one of them,"_

"_You shouldn't blame yourself for not being able to fully understand them. If anything, I'd be surprised if you could," Unlike Shujinko, who had a bit of trouble arranging his thoughts into words, Temari's answer came almost instinctively, as if she knew exactly what the brown-haired Jounin was talking about. Shujinko slightly furrowed his brow and gave her an inquisitive look._

"_What do you mean by that?"_

"_Isn't it obvious? Just because you're Naruto's friend doesn't mean you understand his entire life, the same way I can't entirely understand Gaara's life just because I'm her sister. They see life differently because they're different from you and me. It's not a very hard concept to grasp,"_

_The Ozuma let out a small huff. He didn't appreciate having his intelligence questioned by Temari, as if he was a child who needed simple explanations. It made him wonder if Shikamaru had to put up with that kind of attitude every time he had to meet her for whatever business needed to be attended by Konohagakure and Sunagakure. His annoyance ebbed away, however, when Temari spoke again._

"_The reason why the two of them understand each other so profoundly is that they each represent what the other wants to be. As Jinchurikis, they both went through life being scorned and feared by everyone around them. In spite of that, Gaara became the leader of his village and earned the admiration of those who once saw him as a monster. He's the embodiment of what Naruto wishes to achieve. On the other hand, Naruto taught Gaara that the life of a Jinchuriki doesn't have to be a lonely one. He showed him it was possible for people like them to care about others and for others to care about them. In the end, they're proof that their goals can be reached. That's why Naruto and Gaara care so much about each other, because they share the same pain and the same dreams, and nothing else in this world can make those two feel more alike than that,"_

_|End of flashback|_

Shujinko took a silent breath, inhaling and exhaling through his nose. He wanted to say something to Naruto in order to make him feel better about the whole situation, but Shujinko couldn't bring himself to make a speech about how he understood him when last night he had admitted otherwise. Instead, he decided to introduce a new topic, hoping that would take Naruto's mind off of things even for just a while. "Well Naruto, seeing how determined you are to rescue Gaara, you better have a plan. After all, this is the Akatsuki we're talking about,"

Naruto turned to his teammate with a slight frown on his face. "I'll tell you what the plan is. We find them, we beat them to a bloody pulp and we get Gaara back. It's as simple as that,"

His answer caused Shujinko to narrow his eyes. He wasn't expecting Naruto to come up with a brilliant strategy in less than two seconds, but at least he could've taken some time to think. Had he learned nothing about the importance of planning ahead? "The first thing we need to do is to figure out a way to track them down. If we can't do that, I don't see how the rest of your plan is possible,"

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure Pakkun can help us out," Kakashi commented. "He's my most trusted ninken, and he was there when Naruto fought against Gaara during the invasion, which means Pakkun most likely caught and memorized Gaara's scent. As long as the Akatsuki hasn't taken the Kazekage to an incredibly remote place, I'm confident Pakkun will take us to where they're holding him,"

Sakura nodded in understanding. "But then there's the problem of handling the enemy. We all know the members of Akatsuki are all S-rank ninjas who deserted their village, but aside from that, we have no idea what kind of skills they possess. The message sent by Sunagakure did not include a description of the jutsus or abilities used by those who captured Gaara,"

"We can ask Kankuro about that once we get to my village. He must've been present when the members of the Akatsuki attacked, so he probably got to see at least a portion of what they can do," Temari said. She had no idea her older brother was currently strapped to a hospital bed, barely conscious and fighting just to stay alive.

Shujinko awkwardly scratched his cheek. The last time he saw Kankuro was during the invasion, and the fight between the two of them had ended with Shujinko knocking the puppeteer's lights out with a kick to the face. He hoped Kankuro hadn't been holding a grudge against him ever since that day, but if that turned out to be the case, then at least Gaara's kidnapping would be good enough of a reason for Kankuro to leave grudges aside, even if just temporarily.

"In any case, that's not our biggest issue right now. We need to focus on…"

Suddenly, Temari stopped talking and gestured the rest of them to remain quiet. The sound of the howling wind had come to a halt. Temari got on her hands and knees and quickly crawled her way towards the entrance of the cave, and once she got there, she saw the wild beast that was the desert had become tame again. The strong air currents had mellowed to the point where their surroundings were visible, thus making it safe for them to resume their journey.

"The sand storm is over!" Temari declared. "Come on, let's get going!"

* * *

|One hour later, Sunagakure no Sato|

"It's useless. None of my antidotes are working," Chiyo said, staring at the almost lifeless body of Kankuro with a frown on her old wrinkled face. "Sasori has truly outdone himself this time. He made this poison with the sole intention of causing a slow and painful death. The fact that this young man has been able to survive this long is nothing short of a miracle. However, without an effective antidote, his will to stay alive is only making him suffer more,"

No one in the emergency ward uttered a word as a feeling of dread took hold of them. Aside from being a retired counselor of Sunagakure's Council, Chiyo was the most knowledgeable person in the entire village when it came to poisons. They had summoned her in hopes of finding an antidote before the help from Konohagakure arrived. If Chiyo herself admitted there was nothing she could do, then Kankuro's fate was sealed. All they could do now was to sedate Kankuro and make what little time he had left on Earth as painless as possible.

"We can't give up on him just yet," Baki said, gaining the attention of everyone around him. "The squad from Konohagakure could be here at any minute. There's still hope for Kankuro,"

"And that is precisely what the problem is. We have forgotten how to survive, how to rely on ourselves," Chiyo replied. "We have sunk so low that our only chance to save one of our ninjas depends on Konohagakure and its goodwill. How shameful, how truly shameful. With how things are going, it won't be long before we ask Konohagakure to rule over us since we cannot prosper and thrive on our own,"

"Nee-chan, are you speaking out of concern or out of spite?" Ebizō asked, being the second oldest person in the room. He had a noticeable birthmark on his right cheek and his eyebrows were long enough to touch the collar of his robe. "My memory might not be as good as it once was, but I can still remember your sizzling hatred towards Konohagakure. Is it possible your pride might be blinding you?"

Chiyo snorted. "Pride, you say? Pride is what this village was founded upon and what this young generation has forgotten. Make no mistake, the only thing that is blinding me is my old age,"

Baki remained quiet, although his silence was out of respect for Chiyo rather than being in agreement. The alliance between Sunagakure and Konohagakure had been nothing but beneficial for both villages, which was impressive considering how Orochimaru had manipulated them into attacking Konohagakure three years ago, and during the Chunin Exams no less. In the shinobi world, the Chunin Exams was one of the few instances where villages could come together and put their ninjas to the test without starting a war.

Any other village would've considered this to be treason of the highest order, and since the invasion resulted in the death of the Sandaime Hokage, Konohagakure had even more reason to march into battle against a weakened Sunagakure, whose Kazekage had recently been murdered by the Snake Sannin. Instead, they chose peace over violence and diplomacy over blood. Such a merciful approach was as unexpected as it was unheard of, and it changed Baki's perception of Konoha forever.

Suddenly, a group of ninjas barged into the emergency ward, all of them strangers except for Temari.

"Kankuro!" Temari yelled as she ran towards her brother, pushing past a medical assistant who happened to be on her way, with Sakura following her from behind. "Kankuro, can you hear me?" Temari asked, her voice filled with concern, but the puppeteer showed no signs of consciousness.

"What's his status? How much time does he have?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked, opening a binder that contained the documentation of the medical process so far.

"Not a lot, I'm afraid," Baki answered. "He's been in a critical state ever since the poison entered his body. We've managed to ease some of his pain, but that's as far as our efforts have-"

"DAMN YOU!" Out of nowhere, and for no apparent reason, Chiyo began to run wildly. She darted across the emergency ward with a speed that belied her age, cocking her arms back as she jumped towards Kakashi. "Finally, my revenge is at hand! Prepare yourself, Shiroi Kiba!

"S-Shiroi Kiba?" Kakashi stammered in confusion. "But that's my-"

"Die!"

Without having the slightest idea of what was going on, Shujinko reacted by placing himself in front of his sensei, using his open palms to catch the old woman's fists. When he caught them, Shujinko was surprised by the power behind her punches, which had nearly caused him to stagger back. 'Damn, this old crone sure knows how to hit!' Shujinko thought, who then threw a kick at her chest. However, before he could fully extend his leg, the crazy lady performed a backward summersault and landed several feet away, displaying the agility of a young kunoichi.

"Oi! What the hell's the matter with you, you old prune!?" Naruto shouted in anger. "Nothing gives you the right to attack Kakashi-sensei just like that!"

"Yeah, and who is this Shiroi Kiba you're talking about?" Shujinko asked, pulling out a pair of kunais in case the old lady tried to attack them a second time. "No one here has that moniker. You're either mistaking Kakashi-sensei for someone else or you have a bad case of senile dementia. Which one is it?"

"Speak all you want, but you will not fool me! I haven't forgotten what you did to my son, Shiroi Kiba, and now you will pay!"

Shujinko adopted a fighting position while Naruto created a shadow clone. The Ozuma didn't know who that ugly crone was or what her problems were, but he wouldn't allow her to attack his sensei, even if he had to knock out what little remained of her teeth. The deranged lady was ready to strike again, but just when she was about to charge at them, a man who seemed to be every bit as old as she was stood in her way. "Nee-chan, I beg you stop. This is clearly a misunderstanding,"

"There is no misunderstanding, Ebizō! My son and his wife were killed by Konoha's Shiroi Kiba, and now that he is standing right in front of me, I will claim my vengeance or die trying!"

"Konoha's Shiroi Kiba died years ago, nee-chan. Don't you remember how distraught you felt upon hearing the news? Your disappointment was such that you wouldn't stop lamenting about how you would never be able to carry out your revenge. This young man certainly bores a strong resemblance to the Shiroi Kiba, but they cannot be the same person,"

Chiyo's murderous glare was replaced by a look of befuddlement. She stared at Kakashi in silence, whose awkward expression on his face only confirmed the absurdity of the situation. "… Oh… Well, now that you mention it… Never mind, then,"

To make things even more uncomfortable, Chiyo started laughing, as if the whole thing had been a prank from the start. Shujinko and Naruto raised their eyebrows at each other, both of them wondering what the heck was wrong with her. "That's an interesting way to greet someone," Shujinko muttered as he placed his kunais inside their holsters. "Anyways, we're the squad you requested from Konohagakure no Sato. Our mission is to rescue the Kazekage and bring him back here. The message you sent was rather short, so if someone could give us all the details, it would be much appreciated,"

Baki's eyes widened slightly. Upon closer inspection, he recognized Shujinko as the boy he had saved years ago. He'd been badly injured after his fight with one of Orochimaru's henchmen and was about to kick the bucket by the time Baki had found him. The Jounin from Sunagakure hadn't expected to see him again, and yet here he was, selected by none other than the Hokage to find and save Gaara. The shinobi world was certainly a smaller place than people thought. "Of course. Follow me outside, let's give the medical staff enough room to work,"

000

'Well, this is awkward,'

While Sakura was busy trying to save Kankuro's life, Shujinko, Kakashi, and Naruto were sitting next to each other in a waiting room. Unlike his sensei, who had his Icha Icha novel to pass the time, Shujinko had nothing to do in the meantime other than to remain in silence with his arms crossed over his chest. The pair of old geezers from before were sitting on the other side of the room, staring at them without bothering to hide their curiosity. As it that wasn't enough, they would sometimes hear screams of pain coming from the emergency ward, adding more tension to the atmosphere.

"So… Konoha's Shiroi Kiba. I have to admit I've never heard of him before. He sounds like he was a famous ninja back in the day," Shujinko said in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

"He certainly was," Kakashi replied, not taking his eye off the book. "For better or worse, he was a well-known individual many years ago. Nowadays, people don't talk about him much,"

"They don't? Why is that, Kakashi-sensei?"

"How should I put it? His life was a troubled one, and heroes don't always get the ending they deserve. It's one of the many crude realities of the shinobi world,"

"That doesn't make much sense to me," Naruto immediately said. "If this Shiroi Kiba guy was a hero of our village, then he should be remembered as one, just like the Yondaime Hokage. Isn't that the point of being a hero? To be hailed and acknowledged by others?"

Had it been possible, Chiyo's face would've grown more wrinkles after hearing what Naruto had just said. Of course the Shiroi Kiba was a hero for people like him, but to her, he was the bastard who killed both her son and her daughter-in-law. He was the monster who took Sasori's parents away from him, wounding his heart forever. It boiled Chiyo's blood to hear someone praising him or even thinking about him in a positive light. The only thing that gave Chiyo a tiny bit of comfort was knowing that, apparently, the Shiroi Kiba had been forgotten by his own village, as not even those two youngsters sitting in front of her knew who that man was.

Seeing how Kakashi wasn't responding, and feeling the intense hatred coming from Chiyo, Shujinko decided to lighten up the mood. "In any case, it's kind of amusing when you think about it, sensei," the golden-eyed Jounin said with a small smile, meeting Kakashi's gaze. "You have so many nicknames such as Copy Ninja and Sharingan Warrior, it's hard to keep track of all of them. Has anyone ever mistaken you for the Shiroi Kiba before? Apart from this instance, I mean,"

"Sure, more times than I can count. I got my looks from him, so I guess it's not that strange,"

"Your looks?" Shujinko repeated as realization began to dawn on him. "Wait, does that mean…"

Kakashi closed his book and raised his head, contemplating the light fixture hanging from the ceiling. "That's right. My father was the Shiroi Kiba,"

As soon as Kakashi said those words, a silence worthy of a graveyard invaded the waiting room. Shujinko's eyes were wide in surprise and his jaw had dropped a little. He tried to come up with something to say, but his state of befuddlement wouldn't allow him to find the words. During his time with Kakashi, Shujinko had never heard him talk about his parents or relatives of any kind. He had always wanted to ask him about them, if only out of curiosity, but he didn't know if family was a topic Kakashi felt comfortable discussing, so Shujinko had always held his tongue and kept his doubts to himself.

And now, all of a sudden, he came to find out his sensei was the son of a once-famous shinobi. Shujinko didn't know what to do with this new information, but judging by the way Kakashi was acting, it was clear he didn't feel like delving deeper into the subject, especially since his father was dead. The Ozuma made a mental note to do some research on the Shiroi Kiba once he got back to the village, as this was hardly the time or the place to ask Kakashi personal questions.

"Excuse me,"

Shujinko had been so distracted by his thoughts; he hadn't noticed the ninja standing right in front of them. He was around his age, maybe one or two years older, and he wore Sunagakure's standard shinobi outfit. He had short, dark blond hair and fair skin, but what really caught Shujinko's attention was the scar on the left side of his face. It was a crooked line that went from the middle of his cheekbone to above his eyebrow, pushing some of his skin down and making his eyelid look swollen. 'This guy… Why does he look familiar?'

"My name is Inaka Renjiro. Are you Hatake Kakashi, the leader of the squad sent from Konohagakure?" the ninja asked with a bit of slur in his speech. The left corner of his mouth was slightly tucked, which Shujinko suspected was due to facial paralysis.

Kakashi nodded. "That would be me. What is it?"

"I've been tasked by the Council of Sunagakure to assist you in the rescue of Kazekage-sama. We have reasons to believe our leader is currently being held hostage somewhere outside of Kaze no Kuni, and if that happens to be the case, I can guide you through Sunagakure's neighboring lands," Renjiro said as he handed the silver-haired Jounin an orange card with the kanji for _shinobi _on the back. "This is my Ninja Info Card. This will help you assess my abilities and determine which role you need me to fulfill,"

"How very interesting," Kakashi said as he examined the Ninja Info Card. Naruto, being as curious as ever, leaned closer to him to get a better look at the card until he was basically on top of Kakashi. Meanwhile, Shujinko kept stealing glances at Renjiro, who had yet to meet his gaze. "Very well, Renjiro-san. We'll get into contact with you as soon as we figure out what our next step will be. For now, make sure to get some rest. We have a tough mission ahead of us,"

"As you wish, Kakashi-taicho," Renjiro said before finally acknowledging the presence of the teenagers sitting next to Kakashi. He looked at Naruto and nodded at him. However, when he saw Shujinko, his reaction wasn't quite the same. Renjiro's right eyebrow went up and his jaw slowly opened. After a few seconds of mutual staring, Renjiro coughed into his clenched fist and his face assumed a serious expression once again, even though everyone had noticed the sudden change in his demeanor. "… Anyways, I better get going now. Let me know when you're ready,"

As Renjiro left the waiting room, Naruto kept staring at his retreating figure until the Suna shinobi was out of sight. "What was that all about? That guy looked totally surprised to see you, Shujinko," Naruto said, to which the Ozuma didn't respond. "Also, how do you think he got it?"

Shujinko gave his teammate a side-glance. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"Come on, isn't it obvious? I'm talking about that nasty scar on his face. Someone must've beaten him to a pulp or something,"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Scars are fairly common in our line of work. You can almost say they come with the job. I have a few of them myself. By the time I was twelve, I already had my first scar,"

"By the time you were twelve? Man, you were young, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said in awe. "So what's the story behind your first scar? How did you get it?"

The silver-haired Jounin adjusted the headband that covered his Sharingan in an almost involuntary manner. For a couple of seconds, images of the Third Great Ninja War flashed inside his head, each one darker than the last. "Long story short, one of my comrades was in danger and I had to help him. Trust me, it's not as exciting or as heroic as it sounds, so I'll spare you the details," he said, to which Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Tch, why are you always trying to act so mysterious, sensei? It's like you're the opposite of Ero-sennin. Instead of exaggerating your stories in order to look cool like he does, you downplay them. It's not working, you know… Oi, Shujinko, where are you going?" Naruto asked his teammate, who had gotten out of his seat and was walking towards the exit.

"There's something I need to check. I won't take long," Shujinko replied without turning around or stopping at Naruto's question.

This, of course, irritated the blonde Jinchuriki, whose eyes were replaced by a pair of white circles. "Gah! Not you as well, Shujinko!" Naruto shouted as an abnormally thick vein appeared on his forehead. "Why is everyone around me being so secretive about everything!? It doesn't make you look cool, it makes you look stupid! Stupid!"

|A few minutes later, outside of the hospital|

"Oi, you there,"

Renjiro stopped in his tracks. That voice… he hadn't heard that voice in three years, and in all honesty, he never thought he would ever hear it again. As soon as Renjiro turned around, he was met with a pair of golden eyes, the very same eyes he once tried to shut forever during the invasion against Konoha.

"… It's been a while, hasn't it?"

* * *

Aaaaaaand that was chapter 5. Hope you all liked it.

I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter, honestly. When I started writing this, my intention was to cut as much bulk as I could without skipping over relevant bits of the story. However, even the relevant bits of the story can feel dull when there's not enough action. I tried to at least incorporate new scenes, but even so, I would still label this as one of the "boringish but still necessary chapters of the story".

On the brighter side, we have another character making a comeback. Renjiro from 'Shujinko: The Fourth Member' has entered the chat once again. I felt like Shujinko and Renjiro had to meet each other a second time, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. The two boys who once fought against one another are now teaming up against the Akatsuki.

Glossary:

Kuchiyose: Gedō Mazō - Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Statue

Fūinjutsu: Genryū Kyūfūjin - Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 6 (part 2)

**CHAPTER 6: THE KAZEKAGE'S RESCUE (PART 2)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC's, however)

"Talking / Jutsu"

'Thinking'

'_Flashback'_

"_Flashback talk"_

"**Demonic voice"**

_Letter / Emphasis_

* * *

As a general rule, life was hard to predict.

From the moment they entered the Ninja Academy, children were taught to expect the unlikely, to anticipate the improbable, to never be taken by surprise. It was one of the most basic, yet important lessons a ninja had to learn. Regardless, there were some things, events, and circumstances that no one could foresee. No matter how much a person planned ahead or prepared in advance, fate and chance would always find ways to throw curveballs, either for better or worse. The impossibility to see the future was precisely what made people's lives a peculiar and often ironic experience like few others.

Shujinko knew this to be true, because otherwise, he had no idea how he and Renjiro were currently outside a teashop, sitting together on a wooden park bench three years after their first and violent encounter.

"I can't really say I was expecting this to happen," Renjiro said, breaking the barrier of silence between him and Shujinko. "I heard Konohagakure had deployed a couple of ninjas to help us rescue Kazekage-sama, but I never imagined you'd be one of them,"

"Well, I wasn't expecting this to happen either," The golden-eyed teen said as he folded his arms across his chest and lowered his chin, avoiding eye contact at all cost. The whole situation was beyond weird and he didn't have a clue on how to handle the awkwardness. "I'm glad to see you're alive… You know, now that our villages are on good terms,"

"… And I guess I'm not angry at the fact that you're not dead, so… Yeah…"

'You're not angry at me for not being dead? That's a strange thing to say to someone, but I'll take it as a compliment for whatever its worth,' Shujinko thought. Besides, it wasn't as if Renjiro was obligated to feel happy for seeing him again, especially considering how their fight had ended. "Now that you're here, there's I'd like to ask you about if it's not too much trouble,"

Renjiro raised an eyebrow. "Hmnh? What would that be?"

"What happened to you after the invasion? After our… encounter?"

"You mean after you bashed my head with a rock and left me for dead in an alleyway?" Renjiro asked back, to which the Ozuma shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, I lost consciousness shortly after. I remember waking up in a cell with other prisoners, me being the youngest of the bunch, and we were kept there for days on end until Sunagakure and Konohagakure reached a compromise. We were then taken across Hi no Kuni until we arrived at the border, where they finally set us free. I'd say I got off easy, all things considered. I thought I would be interrogated, tortured, and maybe executed by your village, but that didn't end up being the case,"

Shujinko nodded in understanding before asking the question he had been dreading most. "That scar on your face… I did that to you, didn't I?"

"You sure did. Just because I got off easy doesn't mean I got off unscathed. The wound was bad in and of itself, but since I was a prisoner, I didn't exactly get top-notch medical attention while I was behind bars. I nearly lost sight on my left eye, and as you might've noticed by now, I developed a bit of a speech impediment. Not to mention, my face has never been the same ever since that day. You left me quite a token to remember you by,"

The words of Renjiro left a terrible taste in Shujinko's mouth as a deep sense of regret took over him. His mind drifted back to the day he fought against the very same shinobi he was now sitting next to, and how he ended that fight by grabbing a rock and bashing Renjiro across the face not once, but twice. During the time that followed after, Shujinko would remember Renjiro every now and then, wondering what had become of him. He would do so with a clean conscience, telling himself he had nothing to feel guilty about. After all, Renjiro had been his enemy at the time, and he had left him no other choice.

But now, as he stared at Renjiro and his ugly scar, Shujinko was forced to see the consequences of his actions, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. Because of what he had done to him, Renjiro now had to live with a disfigured face for the rest of his life. Most people would say Renjiro had it coming. After all, he had beaten Shujinko's face into a bloody pulp and pulled a knife on him before he got that scar. But even so… Even so…

"I'm sorry for what I did to you," the words left Shujinko's mouth before he knew he was uttering them. "It must be been hard for you, living with that scar and not being able to talk properly. It wasn't my intention to… I mean, it was my intention to hurt you, but not like this. This probably means nothing to you, and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want to apologize,"

Renjiro gave him an incredulous stare. "You want to apologize? Apologize for what? For messing up my face? For giving me a speech impediment? For almost making me lose vision in my left eye? Which one is it, hmnh?" he asked in a rather sardonic tone, making Shujinko feel even more uncomfortable than he already was. But then, to his surprise, Renjiro took a deep breath and exhaled as he leaned back, placing both hands behind his head. "Don't waste your time with apologies. There's nothing to forgive,"

"Nothing to forgive?" Shujinko repeated, blinking three consecutive times in confusion. "How can you say that? It's my fault you ended up with that scar on your face,"

"Yes, it is your fault. You did this to me and I will never forget it. All the same, I don't blame you for what happened that day. Us Sunagakure shinobis were invading your home and I was attacking you. Hell, I was even trying to kill you. You did what you had to do,"

"Maybe, but still, I shouldn't-"

"Listen, if the roles had been reversed, do you think I wouldn't have done to you what you did to me? Do you think I have some sort of moral high ground on this matter? I don't, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. We were enemies when we fought each other, and if you had been the one invading my village, beating me senseless and holding a knife close to my chest, you can bet I would've grabbed that same rock and leave this same scar on your face. If you want to feel guilty over what happened, go ahead and do so, just don't forget you did nothing I wouldn't have done,"

Suddenly, a breeze went by, raising a sparse cloud of dust from the ground and carrying it away. Once the wind began to settle, Shujinko looked down and saw a small leaf half covered in the sand next to his foot. He bent down and grabbed the leaf along with a fistful of sand, and like a curious child, he brought his hand close to his face and stared at the quivering leaf on his palm. '… Nothing I wouldn't have done…'

In that moment, Shujinko felt an indescribable, yet familiar sense of kinship towards Renjiro. It was the very same feeling he experienced three years ago when he had the chance to kill him but found himself unwilling to. Shujinko never understood where that sensation had come from. He didn't know anything about Renjiro and neither was he supposed to care about him, his enemy at the time. But something came over him when he looked at Renjiro's eye moments before he could finish him off, a spark of clairvoyance that made Shujinko understand he wasn't any different from the boy he was about to kill, that the two of them were more alike than what he imagined.

The wind blew again, snatching the leaf out of Shujinko's palm. The Ozuma watched as the leaf glided through the air, twirling and dancing without a care in the world until it was lost in the distance. It made him wonder how different his life could've been if he hadn't become a ninja. If instead of protecting his village and risking his neck on a daily basis, he had decided to travel around, learn from different cultures, see other places, and enjoy the experiences the shinobi path deprived him of. Nothing to lose, nothing to worry about, nothing to suffer for.

"I don't understand how you don't hate me," Shujinko admitted as his train of thought came to a halt. "If you had done to me what I did to you, I'd be furious. I probably wouldn't even consider forgiving you, not now, not ever,"

"Believe me Shujinko, I used to hate you. Not too long ago, as a matter of fact," Renjiro responded in an almost casual manner. "I remember when the medics told me the damage done to my face was permanent and that I had no other choice but to get used to it. From that moment, I began to hate you in a way that I've never hated anyone before. Just the thought of you was enough to make my blood boil, and all I wanted was a chance to get even with you, to hurt you for all the suffering you were causing me,"

"Then how come you're not angry anymore? What happened that made you change your mind about me, the guy who made you go through all of that pain?"

"Didn't you hear what I said before? I came to the realization I was in no position to judge you. What happened to me was unfortunate, sure, but it wasn't unjustifiable. We were fighting, I was beating you up, and I came close to killing you. What else were you supposed to do? Besides, carrying around all of that hate for so long was just… tiresome, I guess. I wanted to get rid of it, so that's what I did. Whether you would've forgiven me or not is irrelevant to me. This is my life and I have to make my own decisions, and my decision was to drop the grudge I held against you. It's as simple as that,"

"That's… really mature of you," Shujinko said before cracking a small smile. "I have a couple of friends who would do well to take a leaf out of your book,"

Renjiro smirked at him. "Trust me, my book isn't filled with as many good leaves as you might think, but if I ever meet your friends, I'll make sure to let them know you think they're immature,"

The two ninjas chuckled at that. Shujinko felt the awkwardness inside of him ebb away, replaced by a comfortable lightness and an ease of mind. As strange as the situation was, Shujinko felt like he was back in Konohagakure talking to an old friend of his, even though his village was numerous miles away. In that moment, Shujinko understood what Temari had told him about Naruto and Gaara. Those two shared a connection despite barely knowing each other, and now that Shujinko was having a laugh with Renjiro, someone who had once been his enemy, the brown-haired Jounin came to realize maybe Naruto's friendship with Gaara wasn't as confusing as he first thought.

"Oi, Shujinko!" The Ozuma turned his head around to see Naruto running towards him, waving an arm around to catch his attention.

'Speaking of the devil,' Shujinko thought. "Naruto, what's up?"

"What's up? I've been looking for you all over the place, that's what's up! What's the big idea, slopping off like that?" Naruto asked before noticing the guy sitting next to his teammate. "Wait, you're that ninja from before, the one with the huge sca... Erhh, scalp! That's totally what I was about to say! A-Anyways, huh, what are you two doing here?"

"So not only do I have an ugly scar on my face, but a huge scalp as well. And here I thought I was already bad looking," Renjiro said as he stood up and stretched his back. Meanwhile, Shujinko sent Naruto a chastising glare, to which the whiskered blonde scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "In any case, I'm heading home now. I have to prepare my equipment and get as much rest as I can. See you guys later,"

Renjiro began to walk away from them, and while he was walking, he turned his head around and glanced at Shujinko one last time. Then, he raised his hand to the side of his forehead and made a goodbye gesture, waving his wrist with his index and middle finger stuck together. Shujinko returned the gesture and watched as Renjiro performed a hand sign, disappearing out of sight after leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

"Huh, looks like you're getting along with that guy," Naruto commented, to which his teammate let out a short chortle. "What? Did I say something funny?"

Shujinko closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's nothing, Naruto. Nothing at all," he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up in an amused smirk. His meeting with Renjiro, as brief as it had been, left Shujinko with a warm feeling of satisfaction. "In any case, why are you here? Did something happen while I was away from the hospital?"

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot. I came here to tell you that Kankuro is safe. Sakura-chan extracted the poison out of his body using some cool Medical Ninjutsu stuff. It'll be a while before he's fully recovered, but at least he's out of the woods,"

"Really? Well, I'm glad to hear Kankuro will be alright. It seems Sakura has become quite a skilled medical ninja after all these years under Tsunade-sama's tutelage. We're lucky to have her as a member of our group,"

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and that's not all. Do you remember that creepy puppet of Kankuro, the one he uses in his fights? It turns out Kankuro managed to get a scrap of cloth from one of those Akatsuki's clowns and kept it in his puppet. Kakashi-sensei got his loudmouthed puppy to sniff it, so now we can track them down and find out they're hiding. We're one step closer to saving Gaara, believe it!"

This time, Shujinko's eyes widened in surprise. He was glad to know that Kankuro was going to be alright, but having a lead on the Akatsuki was, in terms of their mission, a more important development. "That's good, that's really good. Does that mean we'll be leaving Sunagakure soon? If we linger too long here, the trail might go cold,"

"I told Kakashi-sensei the same thing, but he insisted on waiting until sunrise. He said that we needed to get our strength back up after traveling for three days," Naruto replied, an exasperated frown on his face. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't waste any more time. I'd go after the Akatsuki right away. They have Gaara, and who knows what kind of stuff they're doing to him. It's just so…"

"Frustrating?" Shujinko guessed. The Uzumaki took a deep breath before nodding his head. "I understand. If the Akatsuki had captured you instead of Gaara, I bet he would stop at nothing to rescue you. Still, we have to trust Kakashi-sensei's judgment. He's the leader of our team and he knows what he's doing. Have faith in him, Naruto,"

"This isn't about faith, Shujinko! It's more than that!" Naruto said, raising his voice in a brief outburst of anger. Shujinko stared at him impassively, keeping a straight face as he patiently waited for his teammate to unburden himself. "You don't get it. Gaara… Gaara is like me. He's been through what I've been through, and he had just become Kazekage. He found something to protect, and now the Akatsuki wants to take away from him everything he's fought for. That's why all this waiting around is driving me insane, because while we're here relaxing and taking it easy, he's…He might…"

"You're right, Naruto. I probably don't get it. I'll most likely never understand the stuff that people such as Gaara and you have had to put up with. If a family member or a close friend of mine had been captured by the Akatsuki, I would feel the exact same way as you do right now," Shujinko said. "But you're wrong about one thing. We didn't come here to relax or to take a vacation. We're here because we're willing to lay down our lives if it means saving Gaara. You, me, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, we're all in this together. I know it's easy for me to say, but that doesn't make me wrong… And besides, I've just come to realize something,"

Naruto raised his eyes and stared dubiously at his teammate. "What's that?"

To his surprise, Shujinko smirked at him. "Destiny is a funny thing. What today feels like a kick in the gut might turn into something good tomorrow. By the end of this mission, we might win more than what we've lost. I know I won today,"

* * *

|Kawa no Kuni|

Once the sun was up, the Kazekage's rescue team departed from Sunagakure.

The group was traveling in a pyramid formation with Kakashi leading the front. Behind him were Naruto and Sakura, who were acting as the heavy hitters of the squad in case they met an ambush from the Akatsuki. Shujinko was placed at the rear, along with Renjiro and Chiyo, the rescue team's newest additions.

As he jumped from one tree branch to another, Shujinko turned his head to the right and glanced at Renjiro, whose gaze was fixated on what was ahead of him. It was hard to imagine the two of them were working together in order to save Gaara, to the point where it almost felt surreal. However, after the conversation he and Renjiro had shared yesterday, Shujinko felt a lot more at ease with him by his side, and he was curious to know how much stronger Renjiro had gotten over the years. 'Well, if he was chosen by the Sunagakure Council to join our rescue team, it must be for something,' Shujinko thought.

The Ozuma then took a peek at the other ninja from Sunagakure, Chiyo. He had heard that woman used to be a member of the Sunagakure Council who had retired years ago. Shujinko didn't want to discredit her or her abilities, but he had trouble understanding why Chiyo had joined them. Wasn't she a little too old to fight against the Akatsuki? She probably had years of knowledge and experience under her belt, far more than any other member of the rescue team, but she was a kunoichi of considerably advanced age. Ninjas had to be fast and agile, and judging by her appearance alone, Chiyo didn't look like she was fast enough to dodge a kunai.

'Then again, looks can be deceiving. She doesn't seem to have a problem keeping up with our pace, and she sure caught me off guard when she attacked us yesterday. I just hope she doesn't become a liability,' Shujinko thought before turning his head to the front. "Kakashi-sensei, you said Pakkun had found the place where Gaara is being held captive. How far up ahead is it?"

"Not much. It should take us about an hour to get there, provided that we don't run into problems," Kakashi replied. "I had my ninken search the area last night. I feared the Akatsuki might've spread Gaara's scent all over Kawa no Kuni so that we couldn't find him right away, but fortunately for us, that wasn't the case,"

Sakura nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. Now I understand why you wanted to wait until sunrise. I'm guessing Pakkun is on his way to meet Team Gai as we speak, so he can guide them to Gaara's location,"

"Wait a minute, what did you just say?" Shujinko asked as his eyes widened. "Tsunade-sama sent Team Gai to help us? Why wasn't I informed about this?"

Kakashi turned his head over his shoulder to see his student. "We received a message from Konohagakure shortly after Sakura healed Kankuro. Didn't Naruto tell you Team Gai is our backup?"

The golden-eyed Jounin glared at Naruto, who let out an uneasy chuckle. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. With everything that's been going on, it must've slipped my mind. But hey, it's not that big of a deal, is it?"

'For you, maybe,' Shujinko thought with a great deal of exasperation. 'If Team Gai is on its way, then so is Tenten, and there's a big chance we'll run into the Akatsuki together. Damn it, I hate it when these things happen,'

If there was one thing that bothered Shujinko about Tenten, it was sharing the battlefield with her. It didn't happen very often, but when it did, Shujinko always found himself feeling uncomfortable and a bit distracted. How was he supposed to concentrate on a fight when his girlfriend was right there? It was stupid and definitely unprofessional, but even so, Shujinko quite simply couldn't bring himself to ignore her presence whenever an enemy was around them. And this time, they were going after the Akatsuki… Perfect, just perfect.

"So more ninjas from Konohagakure are getting involved in this?" Chiyo asked without bothering to hide her discontent. "What an embarrassment. It was our leader who was captured, so this matter should be handled by us. Had it been my decision, I would've sent all of you back to your village instead of letting you take care of this,"

"Chiyo-sama, with all due respect, we need them," Renjiro said. "The only reason why Kankuro-san survived is because of this rescue team. Our beloved village is in a fragile state right now, we're in no position to refuse help from an ally,"

"Help from an ally? Ha! It's no wonder Sunagakure has grown weak. Back in my days, we used to rely on ourselves. We developed our strength through our own efforts and sacrifices. Our village used to be respected and feared in equal measure by our enemies, but now? Now we have become complacent and soft, unable to move forward without depending on others. I can assure you this situation would've never happened had we kept our old traditions,"

Shujinko frowned at that. He didn't feel particularly offended by the words of Chiyo, but she could at least keep her ungratefulness to herself. They were the ones who were helping Sunagakure, not the other way around. The rescue team kept moving until they reached the other side of the forest, stepping into an open field. According to Kakashi, once they made it through the prairie, they would reach the Akatsuki's hideout in half an hour or less.

However, just as they were starting to get across the prairie, the voice of Kakashi was heard loud and clear. "Everyone, stop!"

Shujinko and the rest of the group froze in their tracks. Out of instinct, the Ozuma pulled out a kunai and performed a hand sign with his free hand, scanning his surroundings to see what had caused them to stop. He soon found an answer to that, as a man wearing a black robe with red clouds was standing in front of them, waiting for their arrival. With his heart beating, Shujinko immediately realized they had encountered a member of the Akatsuki and his body went tense, getting ready for what would undoubtedly be a brutal fight. Shujinko then took a quick look at his enemy… and what he saw made his blood run cold.

The eyes of the man standing in front of them were bright red, with three tomoes surrounding the black pupils. It was the Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, and the person wielding it was none other than the shinobi who had massacred the Uchiha many years ago.

"Uchiha… Itachi…"

An ominous silence took place as a sudden breeze went by, carrying a dreadful atmosphere that promised nothing but danger. The air suddenly became heavy and full of tension, as if polluted by the presence of the Akatsuki member. Even Chiyo, a kunoichi who had seen the worst of the shinobi world more than once, was unsettled by Itachi and the dark aura surrounding him. Kakashi immediately lifted his headband and exposed his Sharingan, knowing better than anyone how nasty and ugly things were about to get.

"It has been a long time, Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun," Itachi said, causing Shujinko to shudder. His voice was the same as before, cold and devoid of emotion. He refrained from making eye contact with Itachi, not wanting to fall victim to his Genjutsu like he did the last time. "As fate would have it, our paths cross once again,"

"You damn bastard," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "It wasn't enough for you to go after me. You had to go after Gaara as well!"

"The capture of the Kazekage serves a higher goal, one that the Akatsuki is determined to accomplish. You are part of that goal too, Naruto-kun. Surely you know that by now,"

"Why you-!"

"Naruto, stay back. Don't make a move until Kakashi-sensei says so," Shujinko warned him, hoping that his voice wouldn't betray him. He didn't want his teammate to lose his composure and end up getting hurt by Itachi's visual prowess, for one brief glance was all Itachi needed to put someone out of commission. "I know who you are. You're the guy who attacked Naruto and Jiraiya-sama back in Shukuba Town three years ago. Your partner, the one with the giant sword and the shark face, where is he?"

The expression on Itachi's face remained indifferent as he studied Shujinko. He recognized him as the boy who tried to intervene during his fight against his younger brother. A quick Genjutsu had taken care of him, and it appeared that Shujinko had learned his lesson as he wasn't meeting his gaze. "Kisame is not here. He is dealing with that pesky backup team from Konohagakure right now as we speak. According to Kisame, he has a score to settle with Maito Gai,"

"What a coincidence, because I have a score to settle with you," Kakashi said as he got into a fighting position. "Usually, I try to avoid holding grudges against people, but I haven't forgotten about your Tsukuyomi and what you did to me during those three days. Of course, such an amazing technique doesn't come without its toll. As soon as the Tsukuyomi ended, you were forced to escape because of how exhausted you were. Despite my weakened state, I was still able to assess your chakra levels with my Sharingan seconds before I passed out, and your chakra had taken a big hit. That Mangekyō Sharingan of yours might be incredibly powerful, but it has its fair share of risks,"

Once again, Itachi showed no signs of surprise. He simply stood there with the same apathetic look on his eyes like a statue carved out of marble. "It seems you have learned a great deal about the Mangekyō Sharingan from our brief encounter. I did not expect any less from you, Kakashi-san,"

"Believe me, that's not the only thing I've learned. I wonder, Itachi… How much damage has it already been done to your eyes?"

It was short, ephemeral, and nearly impossible to notice, but upon hearing Kakashi's words, Itachi's body shifted slightly and his eyes widened. The rest of the rescue team was confused as to what he had meant by that. Even Shujinko, who had spent the last three years training under Kakashi, had no idea what he was talking about. 'For him to know that about the Mangekyō Sharingan… Kakashi-san, could it be that you…'

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business, shall we?" Kakashi said. "I'll be the main act. The rest of you, wait for an opening and strike him down as soon as you have the chance. Remember, whatever you do, do not make direct eye contact with him. The moment your gaze meets his will be the moment he'll cast Genjutsu upon you, and I speak from experience when I say it won't be pretty,"

Renjiro nodded in understanding and reached for the tanto strapped to his back. "Even in Sunagakure, we used to hear tales about the Sharingan and the remarkable power behind those eyes. It seems now I have the opportunity to see how truthful those tales were,"

There was a moment of silence when no one spoke and no one moved. Shujinko was trying his hardest to keep Itachi in his line of vision without looking into his eyes, but even with all of the practice he acquired during his training sessions with Kakashi, it was still difficult for him. 'This isn't good. I can't come up with a solid strategy to take this guy down if I'm too busy avoiding his Sharingan. If I look at those eyes even for just a second, I'll be finished,' Shujinko thought.

When he understood that there was no way to get around the problem, the young Ozuma realized he could at least level the playing field a bit, and so he discreetly activated the Karura Tensei. This way, he was now capable of perceiving his opponent's moves without having to look at him, using the enhanced powers of awareness and perception granted by Hawk Sage Mode to his advantage. What was more, Shujinko knew for a fact that Itachi would be unable to replicate his techniques, for not even the almighty Sharingan could copy Senjutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed all of a sudden. Seven shadow clones burst into existence and stood shoulder to shoulder next to the original Naruto, all of them smirking defiantly. "If this punk wants to play, then bring it on! Let's see if your Sharingan can tell who's the real me among this many shadow clones!"

"You have the superiority of numbers, that much is evident," Itachi replied coolly. "However, being outnumbered and being outclassed are two very different things, as you are about to witness,"

After saying those words, Itachi slowly raised his hand and pointed his finger at Naruto and his clones, one after the other. This made everyone else frown, still keeping their eyes off of Itachi's Sharingan. 'What the hell is he up to now?' Shujinko thought. 'Is that some kind of secret hand sign or-'

"Haaaaa!" Without any explanation or apparent motive, Naruto charged his Rasengan with the help of a shadow clone and they all went straight to attack… nothing. He broke formation and ran around aimlessly until thrusting his Rasengan into the chest of an invisible opponent, hitting nothing but empty air. Shujinko and the rest of his squadmates jumped back, asking themselves what was going on inside the head of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki.

"Naruto, what on Earth are you doing? You can't make a move like that without even telling us first! You heard what Kakashi-sensei said, wait for an opening!" Shujinko shouted. To his surprise, Naruto turned around with an angry expression on his face, gritting his teeth in frustration. The rest of his clones did the same. "Oi, what's the matter with you? Why are you-"

"So you copied my jutsu, huh? Well, you're not getting away this time! Come on, let's get them!"

Naruto and his shadow clones proceeded to run towards the rescue team with the clear, yet inexplicable intention to fight them. Sakura yelled at him to stop, but he refused to listen. And just like that, Shujinko, Sakura, Renjiro, and Chiyo found themselves getting attacked by Naruto and his shadow clones, who were punching, kicking, and even throwing weapons at them. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Itachi were engaging in hand to hand combat, and although the Copy Ninja could hold his own against most opponents when it came to Taijutsu, the handicap of not being able to see the Uchiha's eyes placed him at an overwhelming disadvantage.

"Naruto-san, stop! We're not the enemy!" Renjiro shouted, dodging and blocking the barrage of attacks that he was being subjected to. The members of the rescue team were dealing with two Narutos each, and since they didn't know which one of them was the original, they couldn't fight back and risk hurting the real Naruto.

"There's no doubt about it. This boy and his shadow clones are acting under the influence of a Genjutsu," Chiyo said almost casually, ducking down and stepping out of the way with little effort as a pair of shadow clones tried to land a punch on her. Despite her advanced age and her fragile body, Chiyo was far from being a slow old lady, and spending years in the battlefield had rewarded her with plenty of experience. "They must've accidentally stared at the Sharingan at a certain moment. How can a shinobi from Konohagakure follow instructions so poorly?"

"Leave the complaints for later! We have to put an end to this and quickly!" Shujinko replied. Thanks to the Karura Tensei, he was able to fend off his teammate and block or dodge every single attack aimed at him, anticipating Naruto's moves with incredible agility. One shadow clone tried to connect a right hook, but the Ozuma got behind his back and shoved him as hard as he could. "Naruto and his shadow clones have far more stamina than all of us combined. Unless we take all of them out and break the illusion the real Naruto is trapped inside of, this fight will drag on forever and we won't be able to help Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura performed a backwards summersault and landed away from the two shadow clones that were trying to overwhelm her. "Listen up everyone, this is what we should do! Grab a weapon and make a non-lethal cut on every single Naruto you see! Aim for their arms and legs! If you hit a shadow clone, they should disappear, and if you hit the real Naruto, make sure to restrain him. I'll heal his injury as soon as we break him out of Itachi's control,"

"Got it!" Renjiro said as he unsheathed his tanto. Chiyo stuck her hand inside the bag she was carrying and grabbed a couple of senbon needles. Both Shujinko and Sakura pulled out kunais, and once every member of the rescue team had a weapon in their hands, they finally passed over to the offensive and began fighting back.

POOF

…

POOF

…

POOF

Slowly but surely, each one of Naruto's shadow clones started to disappear, bursting into clouds of smoke after receiving a cut on their arms or getting stabbed in their legs. It was a rather complicated process given how no one wanted to inflict a serious wound upon Naruto by accident, so they had to bid their time and take them out using as little force as possible. Once Shujinko had taken care of the last shadow clone, he sensed Naruto running towards him, shouting and holding a Rasengan.

Instead of jumping away from him, Shujinko placed his kunai back inside its holster and assumed a fighting stance while he waited patiently for his teammate to get closer. Then, just when Naruto was thrusting his Rasengan, the Ozuma stepped aside and grabbed Naruto by the wrist, dodging the deadly sphere of spiraling chakra. 'I'm sorry Naruto, but this is for your own good,' Shujinko thought before burying his knee-deep into the blonde ninja's gut.

Getting the wind knocked out of him made Naruto's eyes widen as he bent forward, losing control of his Rasengan. This gave Renjiro enough time to get behind his back and restrain Naruto by applying a rear chokehold on him. "Chiyo-sama, Sakura-san, this is our chance!"

The two kunoichis immediately went over to help the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, who kept struggling in the arms of Shujinko and Renjiro. They placed their palms on his chest and emitted their chakra into Naruto. After a short while, Naruto simmered down, and a perplexed expression appeared on his face. "S-Sakura-chan? Chiyo baa-chan? What are you doing? What's going on?"

"Looks like you got your bearings back, Naruto," Shujinko said as he unhanded his friend. "You and your shadow clones were trapped inside Itachi's Genjutsu. You were acting really crazy,"

"Genjutsu?" Naruto repeated, blinking his eyes in confusion. "But when? How? I thought I was fighting him and his shadow clones. You guys were all lying on the ground unconscious. Not once did I looked into Itachi's Sharingan, I made sure of it!"

"If that's the case, then it seems our opponent is capable of casting Genjutsu without having to look at his victims. Even by the standards of an Uchiha, that's quite an accomplishment. It's no wonder he was recruited into the ranks of the Akatsuki," Chiyo said. She then recalled the way Itachi pointed his finger at Naruto and his shadow clones before they all went crazy. 'Was it back then? For a shinobi to be able to do that… I've seen plenty of experienced Genjutsu users in the past, but this Uchiha boy is in a league of his own,'

CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK

Both Kakashi and Itachi landed on the ground at the same time. Weapons such as shurikens and kunais were scattered all over the place, yet none of those weapons had a single drop of blood on them. Kakashi himself hadn't suffered more than just a couple of scratches since his fight with Itachi had started, which could only mean his opponent had yet to take him seriously or he was stalling for time. The first option was highly uncharacteristic of someone like Itachi, so the Copy Ninja would have to speed things up.

'He knows that if he uses Tsukuyomi even once, a considerable portion of his energy will be drained away, which will place him at a disadvantage against this many of us. Itachi is smart enough to avoid that scenario. We have to find a way to hold him steady and attack from a blind spot with enough speed to render his Sharingan useless. One good strike is all we need,' Kakashi thought as he gazed at Itachi's feet, making sure not to meet his eyes. 'If that doesn't work, I have Kamui as a last resort. Not even he can copy that jutsu,'

"Enough warming up, Kakashi-san," Itachi said all of a sudden. "We both know that is not the full extent of your abilities, so I suggest you make complete use of them before it is too late,"

"The same thing goes for you," Kakashi replied. "With your Mangekyō Sharingan, you could end this fight here and now. What's holding you back, Itachi?"

Itachi didn't bother to reply. Instead, he weaved a couple of hand signs and took a deep breath. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" he exclaimed, releasing a volley of small fireballs out of his mouth. The Sharingan Warrior made his way forward, evading the flaming projectiles by hopping sideways. But Itachi wasn't done yet, and as soon as he spat the last fireball, he performed a different set of hand signs while Kakashi kept charging towards him. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

"Everyone take cover! Get behind the trees now!" Kakashi shouted as he weaved hand signs of his own. "Doton: Doryūheki!"

BAAAAAM

|…|

Shujinko filled his lungs with air and exhaled slowly, making as little noise as possible. He and the rest of the rescue team had gotten back into the forest, hiding behind trees and bushes while keeping an eye on the battle. Still in Sage Mode, Shujinko was focusing his attention on the chakra signatures of both his sensei and the member of the Akatsuki. He knew that Kakashi was alive and that he had a plan, but in the meantime, they needed to come up with a plan of their own.

'We need to restrict him, catch him off guard and take him down in one fell swoop,' Shujinko thought, memorizing all of his sensei's tactics and putting together a workable strategy. 'Kakashi-sensei knows a direct approach would be futile, so he'll go for a diversion instead and let us finish him off. Maybe… If we manage to move fast enough… and get behind his back…'

"I still can't believe I was under his Genjutsu the whole time," Naruto muttered, tightening his fists in frustration. "That coward… I'm gonna get back at him no matter what,"

Chiyo gave him a side glance. "And how are you planning on doing that? Unless you have a powerful, long-range technique that not even the Sharingan can stop, I don't see a way for you to get back at him,"

"The thing is, I do have a technique. Ero-sennin helped me master it during the time we spent together. It's powerful, more powerful than my ordinary Rasengan," Naruto replied, causing Shujinko to raise his eyebrows.

"More powerful than your ordinary Rasengan?"

"That's right, but there's one problem. This technique only works when I can get close to my target. I want to give it a shot, but if this guy places me under Genjutsu before I can reach him, then it's pointless to try. What's worse, I could end up hurting Kakashi-sensei or anyone who happens to be near me,"

The golden-eyed teenager was surprised. The fact that Naruto had learned a jutsu more powerful than the Rasengan was impressive on its own, but what was even more impressive was his refusal to use it. The Naruto from three years ago would've gone ahead and tried to show off his new technique without too much planning beforehand, but the current Naruto was displaying more foresight and prudence than he did in the past. The years he spent under Jiraiya's tutelage had clearly helped him mature.

"So basically, we're back to square one," Sakura said in a pessimistic tone of voice. "None of us has the speed to counter the Sharingan like Lee once did against Sasuke-kun. If we can't get near him, how are we supposed to deal with his eyes?"

"My oh my, this new generation is hopeless. Why are you youngsters so quick to give up in the face of adversity?" Chiyo reprimanded them. Upon hearing this, Naruto turned his head around and was about to tell her off, but then Chiyo took out a scroll from her bag and stared intensely at it, gaining the attention of the rest of the rescue team. "Listen closely, for I don't like to repeat myself. I learned this tactic many years ago during my younger days and it is the only one that might work against an opponent of this caliber. We have one opportunity to pull this off, so our timing must be flawless and our execution must be impeccable. Together, we shall perform a jutsu… A Fūinjutsu,"

|…|

"The Kirigakure no Jutsu, huh?" Itachi mused, watching as the mist surrounding him grew thicker and denser by the second. The mist had started to grow shortly after his fireball crashed against the soil barrier his opponent had raised to protect himself. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, undoubtedly hiding among the mist he had spread and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "I must say, for a man who was allegedly copied over a thousand techniques, none of your jutsus have surprised me so far. Kakashi-san, can we please stop this childish game of hide and seek?"

As soon as he finished that sentence, Itachi heard the whistling sound of metal cutting through the air. He ducked down, allowing the kunais that had been thrown at him to pass over his head. The next noise he heard was that of crackling lightning coming his way, and surely enough, Kakashi was running towards him with his hand covered in electricity. "Raikiri!"

But before the Sharingan Warrior could hit him with his signature technique, Itachi weaved several hand signs at a frightening speed and performed a jutsu of his own. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

The fireball that came out of his mouth was so big that it not only engulfed Kakashi completely, but it also cleared all of the mist away, undoing the jutsu in its entirety. Once the mist had dissipated, Itachi saw the huge line of scorched earth his fireball had left behind. Nothing seemed unusual or suspicious at first glance, but then, Itachi noticed a hole in the ground where the fireball had passed, and the sound of the earth grumbling beneath his feet caused him to look down.

CRAAACK

Kakashi popped out of the ground right in front of the Akatsuki member, wielding a kunai that missed Itachi by a few inches. When he attempted a second swing, Itachi stopped him immediately, holding his opponent's arms and forcing Kakashi into a clinch. This resulted in an apparent stalemate between the two of them, but in reality, both Kakashi and Itachi had carried their battle elsewhere, using their Sharingan to enter a world of illusions… A world under Itachi's complete domain.

|…|

"Now then, is everything clear?"

Shujinko nodded his head. Chiyo's idea was fairly risky and there were no guarantees that it was going to work, but it was the only plan they had and they couldn't think of a better one. "It's as good a plan as any," he said as he cracked his knuckles. "Besides, time is running against us. If this tactic allows us to defeat Itachi and carry on with our mission, then I'm all for it,"

"Me too. If I'm being honest, I've never practiced Fūinjutsu before, so I don't expect to be any good at it," Renjiro commented, tightening his headband's knot. "Well, only one way to find out,"

Sakura wiggled her fingers, making sure they wouldn't feel stiff once she had to perform the hand signs Chiyo had shown them. "I'm ready whenever you are, Chiyo-sama. Let's do this,"

"Good, good. Remember, your Fūinjutsu skills are minimum or non-existent, so when you perform this technique, don't try to overpower your enemy individually. I will be the driving force behind this jutsu, and you three will help me as much as you can. As for you, Naruto, you only have a small window of time to act, so you better move quickly,"

"Don't worry about me, baa-chan. I'm gonna send that bastard flying into the sky with my new jutsu,"

|…|

"Of course, it all makes sense now,"

Kakashi, who was inside Itachi's Genjutsu, hadn't made a noise since the two of them had locked their Sharingan. He was currently tied to a stake, his whole body catching fire in a hellish world of darkness with Itachi staring at him impassively… And yet, Kakashi was just as impassive as he was. No screams of agony had left his mouth, no attempts to break the illusion had been tried, no nothing. He didn't even seem to be aware of the flames that were scorching him from head to toes… And that was when Itachi realized it.

"It is no wonder you are unable to feel pain, physical or psychological. You are not Kakashi-san, but a shadow clone of him,"

Meanwhile, the real Kakashi got out the hole he was hiding. He and his shadow clone had dug that hole using Doton Ninjutsu while a second shadow clone distracted Itachi by attacking him with a Raikiri. The remaining shadow clone had been the one who had erupted out of the ground like a mole. Itachi's Genjutsu, as powerful as it was, couldn't inflict pain of any kind upon a shadow clone, which made it the perfect distraction.

"Now, attack!" Kakashi shouted. "Take both him and my shadow clone down!"

As soon as Kakashi signaled the rescue team to act, a single figure appeared out of the woods. It was Chiyo, who had jumped high enough for her body to cover some of the sunlight. The moment Itachi raised his gaze to place her under Genjutsu, his eyes twitched in discomfort as the brightness of the sun glared back at him. Chiyo used this to open a scroll and send a rainstorm of weapons down upon them, throwing kunais, shurikens, swords, and a plethora of other shinobi tools.

However, none of those weapons reached their targets. They were getting embedded into the ground near Itachi, but none of them even scratched the member of the Akatsuki. All of a sudden, four weapons burst into clouds of smoke, and Shujinko, Sakura, Renjiro, and Chiyo were standing behind Itachi, all of them performing the Ram hand sign. "Tajū Isshi Tōjin!"

Four pillars of glowing kanjis appeared on the ground and made their way towards Itachi, creating a sealing barrier around him and Kakashi's shadow clone. When Itachi tried to step out of the barrier he was inside of, his feet went rigid as if glued to the ground by the Kagemane no Jutsu of the Nara clan. With the sealing barrier restricting his movements and with Kakashi's shadow clone holding his arms tight, Itachi found himself barely able to move his body, preventing him from casting Genjutsu against the members of the rescue team.

"Haaaaaaa!" The last member of the rescue team came out of the forest, holding a Rasengan twice as big as its original counterpart with the help of a shadow clone. The modified jutsu released a piercing noise that grew louder and louder until becoming a full-blown screech, and like a battering ram breaking down the doors of a castle, Naruto buried his technique deep into Itachi's chest. "Ōdama Rasengan!"

BAAAAAAAAM

…

* * *

Aaaaand that was chapter 6. Hope you all liked it.

Since the last two chapters didn't have much action, I thought you guys deserved the fight between the rescue team and "Itachi". It was a challenge to write, but I had fun nonetheless.

Well, Shujinko and Renjiro had their heart to heart moment. Some of you might've thought Renjiro would be furious to see Shujinko after what he did to him, but I like to "subvert expectations" every once in a while. I think I did a decent job explaining why Renjiro doesn't hate Shujinko (or why he doesn't hate him anymore, to be precise). Basically, Renjiro realized he would've done the same thing Shujinko did to him had the roles been reversed, and so hating Shujinko would've been hypocritical of him. I'm not saying they're the best of buddies now, but there's no bad blood between them.

The fight with Clone Itachi was tricky to write. About two-thirds of the original fight is just Naruto dealing with Itachi's Genjutsu, and breaking him out of said Genjutsu was all Sakura and Chiyo did. I wanted everyone to participate in the fight, so I took the liberty of adding a few tweaks here and there.

First, I would like to address how Genjutsu affects shadow clones. As far as my knowledge goes, it was never explained in neither the manga nor the anime how Genjutsu affects shadow clones. After searching for an answer in various forums, I came to the (personal) conclusion that Genjutsu does affect shadow clones, but not in every single way it would affect a real person. As we all know, shadow clones have chakra networks. This means that they have chakra that can be manipulated through the use of Genjutsu.

We see this when Clone Itachi casts Genjutsu on Kakashi's shadow clone. The shadow clone was trapped inside an illusion meant to induce psychological pain (It wasn't Tsukuyomi, but a generic Sharingan Genjutsu instead. Not once during the fight do we see Clone Itachi using the Mangekyo Sharingan). However, shadow clones can't feel pain of any kind, which was why Itachi's Genjutsu may have caught him but was unable to inflict any sort of damage. That being said, I do believe Genjutsu can alter the senses of a shadow clone such as hearing and sight. You can't hurt them, but you can make them see and hear things. This is why Naruto and his shadow clones attacked Shujinko and the rest of the rescue team, because Itachi was manipulating them into thinking they were him.

Secondly, I always thought it was kind of lame how Chiyo, despite being a veteran kunoichi with plenty of experience, contributed very little during the original fight against Clone Itachi. I wanted her to display her abilities and her knowledge just like she did against Sasori.

This leads us to the tactic used to defeat Clone Itachi. I will talk about both the technique used and the ones who used it. The Isshi Tōjin is a canon Fūinjutsu technique shown in the manga (in the anime, Iruka uses it on Naruto during episode 275). The Tajū Isshi Tōjin does not appear on the manga, and it is instead shown in the Boruto series during episode 37. However, the Tajū Isshi Tōjin is pretty much the same as the Isshi Tōjin, but performed by more than one user at once. Therefore, it stands to reason that the Tajū Isshi Tōjin might as well by canon in my opinion, since it's basically a canon technique being used by two or more people at the same time.

The second topic is going to be more complex. You were probably surprised to see Shujinko and the rest of the squad using Fūinjutsu, as it is not a skill he has shown before (aside from sealing weapons inside scrolls and stuff). Let's get this straight: Chiyo was the main caster of the jutsu. Shujinko, Sakura, and Renjiro were there as backup, doing the jutsu as best as they could in order to offer whatever help they could give. At least this way they each contributed something, unlike in the original fight where Sakura and Chiyo did almost nothing.

Now, I'm no expert when it comes to Fūinjutsu, but from what I gathered, the Isshi Tōjin doesn't look like some high-level jutsu to me. Iruka could do it in the manga, and while I respect him as a character, I think we can all agree when I say he's not exactly Konoha's finest ninja. In the Boruto anime, even kids who still hadn't graduated from the Academy could do it, and although I don't particularly like how the Boruto series portray jutsus in general, I think this was at least somewhat worthy of being taken into consideration.

Well, that's enough rambling. I hope you liked the chapter and enjoyed the fight.

Glossary:

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Jutsu

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu – Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu

Doton: Doryūheki – Earth Style: Mud Wall

Raikiri – Lightning Blade

Tajū Isshi Tōjin – Multi-Coordinated Light Formation

Ōdama Rasengan – Giant Rasengan

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Ja ne!


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